As we sit here on this beautiful Monday following Easter, the Braves are only 21 games into their 162 game schedule, yet seemingly the sky has already begun falling all over the city of Atlanta.

[DISCLAIMER: While some may perceive I’m throwing shade at a lot of fans here on the ol’ B&S and elsewhere, I am including myself right in the middle of the criticism.]

Yes, even though the NL East is universally perceived as the toughest in MLB this season, as is evidenced by the fact that as of today only 1.5 games separate the division leader from 4th place, and even though the Braves are currently just 1 game behind the division leader, the prevailing thought is that this team is incomplete and sputtering. And just about every pointing finger is directed at the bullpen.

Yes, the bullpen has been bad at times. It has also been good at times, but let’s face it… the bad always seems to be magnified more than the good. And I believe that’s especially true here in Atlanta where we went onto this past off season knowing we needed to address the bullpen.

Then we entered into the new season with very little change. In fact, we didn’t add anyone from outside the organization at all until we picked up Josh Tomlin from the proverbial scrap heap. We certainly didn’t make any headlines by signing any one of a number of top names available on the Free Agent market. And if we’re really honest, that’s what everyone is most upset about, right? The Braves didn’t spend any money on the bullpen. In fact, that narrative has been sharpened a bit more to say that the Braves promised to spend money, have money to spend, yet didn’t spend a dime on the bullpen. Am I right? I’m guilty. I admit it.

But perhaps it’s not quite that easy. Oh, I know it’s always easy to spend someone else’s money. But is it always the right answer? I’ve done a little digging this morning, and have discovered something fairly interesting. So hang in here with me while I go down the lost of top relievers that were available this past off-season, according to MLBTR. Here’s a comprehensive list of all the relievers in their Top 50 Free Agent list, along with the contracts they signed and the results the teams are getting for their stacks of dollars:

#5 Craig Kimbrel remains unsigned despite the cries of most of Braves Nation, and maybe the other twenty-nine fan-bases, as well, because so far, all thirty teams have passed on his demands.

#17 Jeurys Familia signed with the Mets for 3 yrs/$30M. He has appeared in 10 games, has a 5.59 ERA, and a 1.966 WHIP. He’s also become a favorite target of the NY newspapers.

#18 Zach Britton signed with the Yankees for 3yrs/$39M, has appeared in 10 games, and has a 2.89 ERA with a 1.393 WHIP. This is a signing that seems to be working out OK for the Yankees, who have Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Adam Ottavino taking most of the high leverage innings. I say “OK”. Not great, but OK.

#19 David Robertson signed with the Phillies for 2ys/$23M. He’s appeared in 7 games, has a 5.40 ERA with a 2.100 WHIP. Not very good. He has also spent ten days on the IL with a sore elbow.

#21 Adam Ottavino signed with the Yankees for 3yrs/$27M. He’s appeared in 10 games, has a 3.27 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP. He gave up 2 home runs yesterday, turning a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 deficit. Another “OK” signing.

#24 Andrew Miller signed with the Cardinals for 2yrs/$25M. In 11 games he has a 7.04 ERA and a 2.087 WHIP. I’m no professional pitching coach, but I don’t think a 7.04 ERA is very good. To the contrary, one of our favorite whipping boys, Jesse Biddle, actually has a respectable 2.38 ERA.

#25 Joe Kelly signed with the Dodgers for 3yrs/$25M. He’s appeared in 9 games, has a 9.90 ERA, and a 1.900 WHIP. And, he’s already blown three save chances.

#26 Kelvin Herrera signed with the White Sox for 2yrs/$18M. He’s appeared in ten games, as a 1.86 ERA and a 0.828 WHIP. He has easily been the best of this whole bunch. This one was a good deal.

#34 Joakim Soria signed with the A’s for 2 yrs/$15M. He has appeared in twelve games, has a 7.84 ERA, and a 1.839 WHIP. Yowser. Ugly!

#37 Cody Allen signed with the Angels for 1yr/$8.5M. He’s appeared in nine games, has a 6.14 ERA, with a 1.636 WHIP. This is the guy the writers at MLBTR projected would sign with the Braves. I’m glad he didn’t.

#40 Bud Norris signed a Minor League deal with the Blue Jays. He was eventually released and almost signed by the Nats….except he wasn’t. I hear Uber needs drivers.

#41 Brad Brach signed with the Cubs for 1yr/4.35M. The former Brave has appeared in eight games, has a 4..50 ERA and a 2.125 WHIP. Five current Braves relievers have a better ERA, and a 6th misses by just 0.20. All eight have a better WHIP.

#44 Jesse Chavez signed with the Rangers for 2yrs/$8M. The 35-year-old has appeared in ten games, has a 9.31 ERA with a 1.759 WHIP. That’s pretty close to the same numbers for Chad Sobotka who is still a kid and time to continue developing.

So, what exactly is the point of this exercise?

The point is that this fan is now quite happy that his GM didn’t go out and throw money at one or more of these relievers hoping to “fix” the bullpen, because only one of these twelve signings appears to actually be earning his contract.

Naturally, I had the benefit of hindsight to make these judgments. GMs don’t have that same luxury. They live or die by making assessments and hoping for the best.

Relievers are the one segment of the team that you simply can never predict, as is evidenced by those relievers above. Perhaps if we give our own group of pitchers more than just 21 games out of 162, we might see some improvement. At worst, we’ll see a better picture of exactly what we have and what we need. Then we can look at those needs with a better perspective and address them with more options than just throwing money at them.

Like this:

953 Responses to “#184: Sorting Through Fact &Fiction”

Many thanks, V! Excellent presentation. You make your case beautifully.

My sincere apologies for the format. After an 18-hour battle with the WordPress “editor”, I surrendered. It doesn’t look like it was intended, but I know when to stop hitting my head on a brick wall. It looks the way WordPress wants it to look. sigh I must be getting old. Or something….

Ah ha! I think I just gained some insight as to why the free WP editor is so hard to work with.

Just received an email from WP touting all the great benefits of having a paid site. Among those benefits listed was this:
“*Access to Gutenberg, the revolutionary site editing and customization tool we just released.”

V, you make excellent points about how mercurial the career of a relief pitcher can be….one guy the braves could have risked 3.5 mil on is Greg Holland, who has only been in 7 games, but hasn’t given up a run yet…
I can see you have decided to trust..the braintrust on the braves, on not signing Kimbrel (and 29 times have agreed as well) while it can be a crap shoot for a closer, Kimbrel, is perhaps the 2nd best closer of all time, (and always healthy) next to Mariano Rivera….these draft picks ball and chains around superstars necks needs to end. It’s not his fault his former team wasn’t going to sign him cuz they have overspent for years. and now every team doesn’t want to sign him for several years AND give up a pick…of course, IMHO…the braves are way overreacting to losing the 60th best player….lose 5-10 games waiting to find someone, anyone who can close consistently, it will be a wasted year…but, money saved and all that….

Yes Ber, if AA signed Kimbrel and paid him his ask and it did not work out, I doubt anyone among our group would hold Alex responsible. There are some other questionable moves however that stick out for me.

After reading Rick Ankiel’s excellent confessional. I wonder if Sean Newcome does not suffer from the same malady. He just does not appear to know where the ball is going to go so he is aiming it a lot. The most common remark about the difference in Newcome and Fried is Fried is only thinking about what to throw, not how to throw it.

I know from my dismal golfing days, if I thought about anything other than where I wanted to hit the ball, I was doomed….

On an non AA note….I am worried about Julio….he just doesn’t have “it” anymore. For every Greg Maddux, there are 1000 guys that cannot get by on 91…what are there, 10 guys that can start, and be effective with a below average fastball?
and you can tell Julio is trying, but…something happened to his arm. And as well all remember, he was babied his whole career here (did I just make a point in A.A’s favor? 😛 ) but, if he can’t back to being a high 3’s./ low 4’s era kinda guy? You don’t drop a guy who was decent the year before from the rotation (usually, see Sean Newcomb if you don’t think it can happen) but, all teams see what’s going on, and he’s not tradeable right now. and, he is presently a 5 inning guy, and that hurts the team that does need more “innings eaters”

RF RAFAEL ORTEGA [.319 BA/1.069 OPS] 2-4, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 SB [3].
What a get by AA. The guy’s having a career year at this point. I hear the music in the background, ” put me in coach, I’m ready to play…..today.”

2B ANDRES BLANCO [.321 BA/1.013 OPS] 1-4, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO.
Rarely if ever have two guys had an OPS over 1.0 this late in the season with a BRAVES AAA affiliate.

If you cannot throw strikes, you cannot win games. Period. When I tuned the game in on the radio last night, the bullpen had faced 12 batters between them and walked 7 of them (1 intentional). Jesse Biddle and Chad Sobotka were named as the worst offenders. That’s a real problem. It’s also a consistent problem.

Chad Sobotka can go down to AAA and work out his kinks. It’s not that simple for Biddle, who is out of minor league options. Gabe Burns says: Snit has tried finding a spot where Biddle can regain his confidence, but he “doesn’t know what that is right now.” Let’s not forget that the same thing cost Sam Freeman his job in Atlanta.

But I think they like Biddle a little better than Freeman, as Biddle is younger and has a better track record. So what do you do? Mysterious calf injury? I don’t think that’s the answer… yet I don’t know what a good answer is. What I do know is that the Braves cannot afford to give games away 4 balls at a time. It just is not a sustainable recipe for success.

I hate paying for content that will be repeated elsewhere for free at some point, but there is something to be said for getting it in a timely manner. My fear would be that they will let me have it for the 12 x $2.49 rate for the 1st year, then doubled upon renewal. Then you feel hooked like a mackerel. I’ve been burned that way by DISH Network twice.

Funny, tuna, I’m all in, mackerel, not so much. Salmon I can take or leave too.

So, the Braves bullpen still smells to high heaven, no matter the culprit. I dread seeing either Jesse or Sobotka on the mound. I just don’t understand. It is like Julio last season where he could get two strikes and then try to get cute and trick the batter.

Braves offense not to blame last night. Donaldson almost tied it up in the ninth, Sometimes that game of inches is in the middle of the field…

V, I completely understand! I have put this off forever…and yes, there is the fear of next year’s cost, but I figure at the cost of a…shoot, can you even buy a cup of joe for $2.49? I can find out if it’s worth it. MLBTR will get to the jist of a story behind paywalls, but I see less and less to read on the AJC since DOB doesn’t have those links, ESPN online is a joke (Heck, apparently you can’t even get info of games via your phone now, until a game is over…saw a icon to click on for highlights… was wondering who had given up 3 runs to the Reds, but ESPN didn’t want me to know) Just read a bit, saw a column by Dale Murphy saying he played with a lot a great players (and had a nice story how Mike Schmidt, a year after he retired, sent Murph a video going over some issues he saw with his swing, hand placement, etc) and how he thought of Schmidt being the best overall player of his era, but Mike Trout is better than anyone he played against. Murph has a real talent for writing, had no idea! so, we shall see…DOB had a whole lot of stuff there, actually stopped reading after awhile, but having never been there, its all new, once I am caught up, I will probably be bored with it 😛

Sobotka is a guy that is tall and rangy and can reach back and throw it 97-98 mph. “Baseball people” are so enamored with “velo” now that they don’t care if a guy can control where it goes. So he comes in the game and walks the first 2 guys he faces, then works out of a bases loaded, 0 out jam by striking out 2. Not too bad, right? Well, Snit wasn’t happy because he threw too many pitches and is now out for today’s game.

Biddle’s problem is less mechanical and more mental. He’s lost it between the ears. I have more confidence that Sobotka can fix his issues than I do Biddle. But Biddle is out of options and the only lefty out of the ‘pen aside from the closer Minter.

If I’m AA, I’ve already sent Sobotka back to AAA. Heck, he’s no good to you today anyway. But the guy needs to work on his mechanics someplace other than where it counts. We have others that can fill his role. Why not Bryce Wilson, who was already up from Gwinnett but for some reason sat and watched along with the rest of us last night?

As for Biddle, well… I like the guy, but I’m showing him the door. He’s no longer any good to us, and have other LH options at AAA.

For one, there’s Grant Dayton. He’s already on the 40-man roster, and across 4.0 innings at AA has 6 K’s and 0 walks. Yes, 0 walks.

Or, there’s Thomas Burrows. He can take Jesse’s 40-man spot, and is the Braves #19 ranked prospect. But he has 4 walks in 8.1 IP, so he may not be much better.

Or why not one of the lefty starter prospects? Kolby Allard? Sean Newcomb? We know Newk, but he might be better coming out in short spurts; we won’t know until we try. Same with Allard. His 2019 start hasn’t been stellar, but it hasn’t been awful either. Still, he carries more trade value as a starter, which is likely why AA is hesitant to bring up any of these prospects to prop up the bullpen.

Anybody seen Luiz Gohara? Is he even in Gwinnett? In the US? In baseball?

So I say either trade them or use them. We have needs.

Oh… there’s one other possibility. Maybe Craig Kimbrel will go for a 2 year deal now, and Minter can move back to being a regular LH in the pen. Just a thought.

Ah, “Deep Thought”…. We all know the answer is “42” but we don’t really know the question to the answer… Maybe it’s (what is the average number of walks the Braves expect to give up in a 4 game series?)

The thing with Soroka’s shoulder is that on both occasions it was muscular and not structural. The first occurrence was the result of a specific workout exercise he was doing incorrectly, and the second – indirectly related – was the result of going too hard on the same exercise with the corrected motion. Essentially he failed to ease the proper muscle group into the new regimen.

That’s the long way around to say that his shoulder really shouldn’t be an ongoing concern as it is structurally sound. He’s not a slightly built kid either, coming in at 6’5″, 225 lbs.

And yes, Gil… I’m very happy Snit left him in for 109 pitches. It proves the club has no concerns over the shoulder.

109 pitches, 69 strikes, 7 K’s, 3 walks, 1 ER over 5.2 IP. As he settles in, he should become more efficient and last later into his games.

Last night the Braves looked and played just like a real major league baseball team. I also was giving props to Snit for leaving in Soroka when he ran into trouble in the 6th inning. Turns out BMac was behind that… Oh well, who say you can’t teach an old manager new tricks?

Reports out of Gwinnett that Newk had a good night. Good, let’s see if he can follow that up with a couple of more.

There is some really bad blood boiling between the Mets and the Phillies now… wheeeee…. I love a good brawl as long as I am not in it…

As he strolled toward the mound during the sixth inning of Wednesday night’s 3-1 win over the Reds, Braves manager Brian Snitker simply wanted confirmation from veteran catcher Brian McCann, who had the utmost confidence Mike Soroka had the mettle necessary to further extend beyond his limits.

“I said, ‘We’ve got it,’” McCann said recapping the brief mound visit. “’He’s got enough in the tank, and he’s been in control from pitch one.’ I really liked the matchup that was coming up. When you pitch that well, I love that. That’s something where he deserved that hitter, and he got it. If you pitch like that and you attack the zone and you keep guys off balance, that was his game to lose.”

Soroka recorded just one of the final two outs of the sixth inning, but the 21-year-old right-hander further endeared himself with the resolve and talent he showed during this career-high 109-pitch effort. The Braves’ top prospect had never thrown more than 90 pitches in any of his previous six career starts. But his manager still had the confidence he could get the job done with two on and his pitch count at 98 with one out in the sixth.

“I could have been talked out of leaving him in, but I wanted to talk to Mac and see what he thought,” Snitker said. “He was very adamant about them being right where they needed to be.”

Newk is a perfect example of many of these modern young pitchers. They can throw it through a brick wall, and are used to throwing it past lesser batters. But once the get around better hitters, they are afraid to pitch to contact… which is what makes a pitcher a pitcher.

At some point, a thrower has to trust his stuff and become a pitcher. You cannot nibble in the major leagues… you just can’t. Ask Aaron Blair.

CF RYAN LAMARRE [.362 BA/.975 OPS] 3-3, 1 R, 1 HR [1], 1 RBI [11], 1 SB [4].
Age 30, and in his prime. Lead-off homers in AAA and CINCINNATI sends a nice message to the rest of baseball. A third regular vying for a 1.0+ OPS. Over there, over there, send the word, send the word over there, that the BRAVES are coming, the BRAVES are coming, their bats boom,booming everywhere….

LHRP THOMAS BURROWS [Sv 4, 4.82 ERA/1.18 WHIP] 1.0 Ip, 1 H, zeros, 1 SO, 13p/11s.
Looks like THOMAS may be finding some footing in AAA. Let’s hope he can be consistently effective by year’s end. Aside from the prospect of adding KIMBREL to the bullpen mix this year, BURROWS is the only other prospect I see in sight of ATLANTA’s ‘pen for the balance of this season.

Trade deadline significant this year?

I suspect a trade of some asset for an effective bullpen arm come the trade deadline…..provided we’re in a position to go for another pennant that is.
Prolly true of a KIMBREL get as well. I’d say the odds of getting CRAIG increased with the blown tires of DARREN O’DAY, AROLDYS VIZCAINO, and CORBIN CLOUSE.
A June and July acquisition of a KIMBREL and another effective arm for the ‘pen might carry us into October.

MISSISSIPPI (9-9)

A second disappointing loss to MONTGOMERY, this time 6-4. KYLE MULLER had a so-so start, but the offense lifted him off the hook, only to have LHRP MIKE MADER dump him back on it with a stinker of a relief outing, and a fielding error to “boot” [pun intended].

With RYAN LAMARRE and RAFAEL ORTEGA ahead of them, the only question is when will the two AAA players hit a speed bump in their season.

Frankly, I’d like to see LAMARRE and JOYCE take INCIARTE’s spot for a couple weeks. Let ENDER get his head on straight, and at the trade deadline use it somewhere else when he finally decides to start hitting again. This slow start crap is getting old. Straight up trade, a hot ENDER for a terrific middle reliefer is O.K. by me.
Only caveat to my mind is INCIARTE’s defense. That would be missed even with ACUNA in CF.

C JONATHAN MORALES [.316 BA/.824 OPS] 1-4, 1 RBI [8], 0 BB, 0 SO.
I like what I’m seeing from MORALES. Only 24, a solid defensive catcher who can hit is golden in this league. Unfortunately, he’s teased me in the past by starting strong then fading in the stretch. RAFFY is doing fine in LAWRENCEVILLE, so let’s see how he plays out the rest of this season.

I’ve rambled too much this morning to give highlights in FLA. and ROME. Unfortunately in FLORIDA’s case, it’s low-lights in a 13-1 drubbing. We’ll leave that one behind and look to today’s game instead.

ROME (7-12)

A wonderful pitching performance by RHSP TREY RILEY results in a tightly contested 1-0 victory for the good guys.

A final point and then I will move on. When Snit came out of the dugout the first time, I told Josie it would be a terrible mistake to take Soroka out of the game because it would leave him in a position to lose the game. At least he should be given the opportunity to lose the game on his own.

You kind of put up with his offensive shortcomings because of his standout defense. But this year, he’s not been a shining example of a Gold Glover. That throw he uncorked toward 3B a few nights ago on the ESPN broadcast that allowed a runner to score when the ball sailed in the air into the dugout was a dark blot on an otherwise sparkling night for the team. Not only was the throw horrible, it should never have gone to 3B anyway. That ball has to go to 2B. The lead runner doesn’t score anyway unless some bonehead airmails a bad throw… which he did. That’s just simple fundamental baseball.

So if you aren’t getting Gold Glove defense, what are you getting? You’re getting .237/.314/.342 at the plate and nothing else very special anywhere else. Bleh.

games back on, look alive!!!
in case y’all missed it, braves down 3-0, but bases loaded, nobody out, and shockingly…..no one scored. Has that ever , ever happened to the braves???? 😛
we should be looking to trade for that Hernandez dude that struck out the side…I think the Reds will be able to get quite a haul for some of their arms come trade deadline time….

had some pre-Cancerous thingys taken off today, fun fun….
anyways, wasn’t on the web earlier today, just wanted to chime in with everyone else , last night was an encouraging one, Minter didn’t have any issues, team just played good, tight baseball….let’s see more of that!

I feel asleep during the rain delay, I guess I’m not as tough as I use to be. Well pitched game for the most part. Julio wasn’t awful but seemed to lose it in the fourth. Braves looked flat… just could not get the timely hit.

Reds, 5 hits, 4 runs…braves, 11 hits, 2 runs (and those 2 were cuz FF his a 2 run homer)
Gil, the 4th seems to often be the inning Julio has trouble. 6 innings, 3 runs, not bad in that park….but, I don’t know…perhaps the Padres will take a flyer on him later in the year. I feel sorry for the guy, he’s clearly trying, but that fastball is just nothing…if only he could develop some movement on it…his slider and changeup are fine…but at some point, he’s just keeping some kid from getting his chance.

well, that was disheartening. Folty was great for 6 innings, then couldn’t get another out
I was ready to Crown AJ, the CLOSER!!!! and where did 98 MPH come from???? 2 outs, 2 strikes, and then…walks, walks, double, and then…well, I don’t know, 5-4, then 6-5 Rockies…flipped away, 9-5 Rockies…sigh….
so, back to the drawing board….saving a lot of money by not having the best possible guy closing….

Good afternoon all, all ready to watch the Braves and the race on split screen this afternoon. Or, I may take a nap…

Okay, to get real about some things. 1) It is early, too early to panic but not too early to be disappointed. Teams that have winning records in April and May don’t always bring it home but continuing to throw away games with walks can be trying upon men’s souls. The starting staff is doing their job and the offense which can put up 6 runs a night isn’t the problem. That leaves the worse Braves bullpen since the late 80s.

2) If Kimbrel were signed now, I would not expect him to be the Craig Kimbrel we know and love, It will take at least a month for him to return to form. No one wants to give up a draft pick. Look out if Kimbrel and Kutcher remain un-signed in June post draft day.

3) It is a long season but no need for Alex to make it longer.

4) If your control is suspect but your stuff is good, THROW IT ACROSS THE PLATE… If they hit it, they hit it…

Gil,
I don’t know what has happened to strike throwing!(and it is a problem across the league, but we still have to be in the bottom half, or bottom 3rd bullpen wise, at least when it comes to walks) early with the new pitching coach, but once again, perhaps the last 2 coaches were better than we “heard” they were.
as for the closing situation…..Gil , you are right, if we signed Kimbrel now, even if it only took 3 weeks, that’s nearly June…but, what about if he’s signed in June? then he won’t be ready til nearly July! Now, we may REALLY need him then, but so could a lot of teams come that point…I really hope Kimbrel only signs for only 1 year….there was no reason for him to not get a big contract….some team could have given him big numbers, with a few option years for both player and team….
well, time will tell….AJ clearly has the stuff, but it almost seemed like he was tired, like it was his 2nd inning….

Gil, I know!!! We would have released him a week into the season….you really have to have patience as a manager, and as a GM, to not throw the baby out with the bathwater….Luke has been great of late. Really couldn’t believe he was in today, after 2 innings yesterday, but…what other option was there? you could tell the natives were getting restless with A.J. another blown save, and it would really been hard for him to close anytime soon at Suntrust….hopefully he will get a few saves on the road, and build his confidence back

#Braves' Luke Jackson on throwing all sliders: "I was actually talking to Flow about that. I said, ‘I think I threw all sliders.’ They call me the Friendly Neighborhood Slider Man in the bullpen; I throw a lot of them."

OK, not a sexy move, but this team needed a veteran lefty in the pen in a baaaaad way. Jonny Venters was supposed to be that guy, but wasn’t. Jesse ran into a mental cramp. Now hopefully Jerry Blevins can at least provide a little bit of effectiveness vs. some of those tough lefty hitters in the NL East.

And before too many eyes roll over the move, it cost the Braves virtually nothing – “cash considerations and a PTBNL” – thus carries zero risk.

Blevins signed with the A’s on a minor league deal, and in their AAA affiliate tossed 10.2 IP to a 1.69 ERA and 13.5 K/9. He was good once, so maybe we can catch a little lightning in a bottle for a few more months. Truth is, he can’t be any worse than Jesse or Jonny.

Adam Duvall is storming back at AAA. Apparently remembering how he hit during his All-Star year in Cincy, he’s raking at Gwinnett posting a .306 avg w/ 7 HRs and 1.035 OPS following yesterday’s game in which he homered for the 4th straight game.

Conversely, Ender Inciarte is batting just .227 (.655 OPS) through yesterday’s tilt. Don’t be surprised if Ender is dangled toward OF starved teams (San Fran?) for more bullpen help. RAJ is not a big dropoff defensively in CF and Duvall is a plus defender himself.

btw, JANISTA has hit a speed bump in A+.
However, our two projected outfield futures PACHE and WATERS are doing well in AA.
If they can keep up the pace, I do expect them to both get their feet wet for an extended time this season in LAWRENCEVILLE.

I like Greyson Jenista. I believe he’ll be fine. They always hit a plateau here and there on their way up the ladder. He has good corner OF power from the left side. His biggest problem will be finding a spot in what should be a crowded and talented (and young) OF with RAJ, Cristian Pache and Drew Waters. He might end up being trade bait.

I used to get TOPPS cards in the late 50’s and said over and over, “who the hell is ERNIE JOHNSON?”
Got BUHL, BURDETTE, even a WARREN SPAHN once, but I had a dozen ERNIE JOHNSON’s.
Now I know he was not our best pitcher, but he was smooth as silk with the tomes.

“Like lambs to the slaughter, the BRAVES take the field.”
“It’s a lively crowd tonight as many have disquised themselves as empty seats.”
I miss SKIP.
He was always in rare form when he partook of one too many bourbons with branch water during team warm-ups.

In 2020, the Braves will have a dominant rotation that begins with Soroka, Anderson and Fried, in no particular order. Not sure who the other 2 will be, but those guys will be the foundation that it all turns on.

Here's how things are going for the Braves' bullpen. Around 4:30, Snit said he may use Sobotka as his closer tonight. At 5:30, Sobotka is placed on the injured list with a left abdomen strain. Grant Dayton will take his roster spot

Sobotka reportedly strained an abdominal muscle in Monday’s game appearance, but Snit didn’t want the Pads to know his bullpen was short in the event Dayton wasn’t available in time. Obviously he was.

Now he gets his shot to show he belongs. He has pitched only 5.1 innings, but the numbers you really need to know are his 1.69 ERA, his sparkly 0.563 WHIP and his 13.5 K/9 rate. And most especially the number 0… as in the number of walks he has issued. It’s his turn to prove he can do it at the highest level.

— Ender grabbed his hamstring early in the game and had to come out. Johan finished the night. Snit said Ender tested out fine after the game and didn’t feel it was serious, but they will evaluate him today to make a decision on whether he needs a 10-day IL stint. Duvall is wringing his hands at AAA hoping to get a shot to show he’s made a turnaround.

— Rick Kranitz is back with the team after being away for a couple of weeks on a “family matter”. Wonder if he looked around and wondered where everyone went? There has been a lot of pitching turnover in those last couple of weeks.

— Freddie ended his On Base streak at 27 games with an 0-fer last night. Still, opening the season with 27 straight games being on base is pretty dang impressive.

— Ozzie is killing it RH, hitting .394 with 4 HRs from that side of the plate.

Snit seemingly pulled him early when he pinch hit for him in the 6th inning, but said after the game, “He had one more inning regardless. If he’d have been in a situation where he was going to go two more innings, I’d have let him hit. But he had one more inning. I rode him pretty hard the last game in Cincinnati. You forget, this kid missed a majority of the season last year. We want to keep him upright throughout this year because a lot went into that. That might have been the toughest decision I’ve had all year.” (courtesy of Bowman)

Yes, we want him around. This fan is glad they are taking extra care with him. I keep beating this dead horse, but he’s the future ace of this staff. And that future is approaching very quickly.

More Bowman: Each of Soroka’s eight strikeouts through six innings (81 pitches) have been recorded against a different Padre. His finishing pitches: Slider (3), 4-seamer (3), Changeup (2). He’s gotten a called strike w/ nearly a third (11 of 35) of his 2-seam sinkers.

This from DO’B: Soroka has allowed one run in each of his three starts this season and allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his eight major league starts over two seasons. No other Atlanta-era Braves pitcher had as many such starts within his first eight.

No other Atlanta-era pitcher? There have been some pretty dang good ones.

In Triple-A Gwinnett, #Braves OF Adam Duvall is on a tear. He has 8 home runs in his last 10 games, including a streak of 5 straight games with a homer. Duvall is batting .315/.398/.697 with 19 RBI, 20 R and 12BB/16K in 103 PA for the Stripers.

Bowman: Bullpens around baseball are struggling. Reliever ERA is worse than starter ERA, which hasn’t happened in 50 years. One potential reason: There literally aren’t enough human beings on Earth good enough at pitching for teams to use their ‘pens this much.

Jim Powell and Ben Ingram touched on this last week on the radio. They noted that most teams are now employing an 8 man bullpen, and that creates a demand for 240 ML quality relief pitchers. And there just simply are not that many.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to land on the injured list later today. The extent of his hamstring injury still isn't clear, and he's undergoing tests. But the Padres aren't going to take any chances with their 20-year-old top prospect.

So, with a win last night, the Braves climb up to 2nd in the division behind the Phils.

Alex is hard headed and is determined no one is going to tell him what to do. I can’t understand his thinking. For the last 15 years the Braves have been whining about something. If it’s that bad, sell…..

Ender Inciarte testing his right hamstring, doing some agility drills and running the bases. Last night, it didn't seem as though the #Braves were overly concerned about him needing an IL stint. That said, he's not in the lineup tonight (Joyce in LF; Acuna in CF)@680TheFan

V, just being a contrarian here, so take what I say with a grain of salt, as I too would rather have someone else out there…
last year in the first 91 games (the first half of the season, somehow) he “hit” .244. then, after the all star break, in 65 games, .302, .345 OBP
in 2017 he had 201 hits, scored 93 runs, hit .304, .350 on a 72-90 team. That, would have been the offseason to trade him, but he was about the only guy not traded, was 26, cheap…not the kind of guy cheap teams trade away.
in 2016, Ender’s first with the braves, he hit .291, .350, after get this, another slow start to the season. (in case y’all forgot, .227 in the first half, .341 in the 2nd half)
2015, with AZ , 303.
so, we have a cheap, controllable, 28 year old excellent CF’er, who can’t hit squat during the first half the season, for some reason. What to do? Sadly, I am guessing his trade value is low now, so they will keep running him out there til he gets hot, then, if the teams on a roll, they won’t trade him then either, right? Wait til the off season, and then maybe trade Ender, and have Cristian Pache ….spend next April in AAA so they can be cheap, and keep the miles low on his career ticker…. win second, save moola first, I always say….

so, we have a cheap, controllable, 28 year old excellent CF’er, who can’t hit squat during the first half the season, for some reason.

So he hits for half the season, can we pay him half his salary? I’m just so tired of seeing him do just what he did last night… strike out in key situations. I’ll take RAJ in CF, and whomever else in LF, whether it’s Johan or Adam Duvall, each of whom is cheaper and younger.

And shall I get started on Julio T???? I know he’s trying, but….sometimes the slider slides, sometimes it don’t.
at his age, he should have a clue on how to make it work most of the time….his 91, 92 Laser straight fastball is below average these days….yeah, he finally went 7 innings, only gave up 4!!!! 3 homers…guess he went out for the 7th to help the bullpen….that’s nice…he’s not an innings eater normally, which on top of a 5 + ERA is pretty much useless on a contending team….I feel he really is trying, but…he should pitch in San Diego, or San Fran….some bigger park….maybe the Twins if they are still in contention later on will take a flyer on him????

Ken Rosenthal (or his sources) yesterday: “It’s going to be really interesting to watch the Jays over the next few months because what I believe they’re going to do – what I’m told they’re going to do – is try to trade [Marcus] Stroman, [Aaron] Sanchez, [Justin] Smoak and others to get more young talent in Vladdy’s age range and service class and then build up that way”.

Marcus Stroman – 6 starts (37.2 IP), 1.43 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, 8.6 K/9

Stroman is 28 years old, making $7.4M this season, and has one more year of arb left before hitting FA in 2021.

And of course, AA has a strong relationship with the Jays front office.

Perhaps we could take Smoak (.264/.385/.462, 5 HR) off their hands and give them $8M of salary relief, assigning him to the bench bopper role that Lucas Duda filled last season. In fact, wouldn’t it have been nice to send a real hitter to the plate instead of Ender in that critical situation last night?

What’s funny (not haha funny) to me is that the 2 elements that I believe the Braves need to push them over the hump is a lock-down closer and a consistent veteran starter. Both are still hanging out with no job – Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel. Now don’t misread that to say I’m endorsing signing both CK & DK, but I do see the irony in it.

Rather, I believe we should trade for the veteran starter. I know I’ve said this before, but you simply cannot understate the importance of the Astros adding Justin Verlander in 2017, their championship season. If you’ll recall, Verlander was deemed to be on the downside and his stuff “not as crisp”. That’s sort of the same thing being said about Madison Bumgarner right now.

MadBum is only signed through the end of this season, and is on record stating he will not sign an extension before hitting FA at season’s end. Obviously that is the bad news, but the silver lining there is that he will not require a huge prospect cost because of it.

If Thoppy could reach a deal with SanFran for MadBum and one of their effective late inning relievers, he might just push this Braves team to the top of the tight NL East.

Patrick Weigel was a borderline top 10 prospect before TJ surgery derailed an impending callup to the big club in 2017. He is now almost 2 years removed from the procedure and finding his stride once again, finding himself back in the top 30 at #21. He has a consistent mid-90’s fastball with natural sink and can reach 96-98 when he wants to, as well as a slider that’s his swing-and-miss strikeout pitch. There’s also an occasional 12-6 curve and a decent changeup to boot.

One might wonder how that fastball/slider combo might translate to a reliever’s role. At 6’6″, 240, he’s a big hard throwing kid that might give hitters fits in late innings.

Good win last night, Touki warming up in the 2nd inning? Do y’all think Snit knew Gausman was up to something? Anywho, solid 6 innings for the rookie.

It was good to hear Joe Simpson on the air last night. He mentioned something about Acuna’s slump I have picked up one too, it all started after the Betre style one knee homer a couple of weeks ago. it use to drive me crazy when Andrew did it too.

Mike Soroka allowed no earned runs tonight & has now allowed 1 earned run or fewer in 7 of his first 9 starts. Since World War II, only 1 other pitcher has had as many such starts among their first 9 career games: Cisco Carlos, who also had 7 for the White Sox from 1967-1968. pic.twitter.com/b9GCE7xJLj

With the day game today following a late game last night, and a flight from MIA to LA immediately following, expect to see JDon sit today in favor of Johan… and maybe RAJ too (back tightness). It would also be a perfect opportunity to spell Freddie, but only if RAJ plays.

wowser….did y’all see Max Friend pinch running for JD, and slide in to home headfirst, on Ender’s double????? Yikes! He looks kinda frail, but, no harm no foul , thank God!
nice sweep of the hapless Marlins, now for a real acid test, the Dodgers!

Batting average is just a fraction of a player’s production, especially a slugger. Speaking of which, JDon is slugging .449… and his OBP is .389. Like him or not, he is a game changing player, and there are not alot of those to go around.

Hmmm… not alot of love for JDon around here. I get it. He’s not “one of ours”. But he is producing at a .259/.389/.481, 5 HR, 9 2B, 16 RBI clip. And that does not reflect the number of balls he’s barrelled that have been long loud lineouts. He consistently makes better contact than anyone else on the team. At some point, those liners will either start falling in or start flying out. I’m betting on the latter.

Would you rather have Johan in there? His .221/.277/.338 slash line is more troubling than my current whipping boy Ender Inciarte’s .238/.314/.362.

Pitching in our minor’s system has really come on strong across the spectrum of the classes.

Still wish we had BRUCE ZIMMERMANN and JEAN CARLOS ENCARNACION though. BRETT CUMBERLAND and EVAN PHILLIPS. How are they faring in the O’s organization?

LHSP BRUCE ZIMMERMANN 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA/1.12 WHIP in AA
BuZMM continues to show high marks as he integrates into the O’s organization.
I for one miss him. Looks like GAUSMAN/O’DAY + salary was half a fair trade at this point.

LHRP EVAN PHILLIPS 0-1 4.91 ERA/1.45 WHIP in BALTIMORE.
EVAN has been in BALTIMO’ pretty much since the beginning of the season. Looks like the O’s intend his ojt at the ML level for now.

C BRETT CUMBERLAND has been in nine AA games as the relief catcher. 36 AB’s so far .250 BA/.900 OPS. He appears to be used sparingly, but effectively by the O’s organization.

3B JEAN CARLOS ENCARNACION has see his plate results drop dramatically since being traded. Currently, he is still in A-ball for a second stint with the SHORE BIRDS where in 88 AB’s he is batting .216 BA/.618 OPS.
JC may be having trouble adapting to the O’s organization though his OPS is a notch better than last season, but nowhere close to his number [.777 OPS] while at ROME.

Do not mistake my lack of love for a player as the same as wishing he were somewhere else. Perhaps it is the hyperactive bravado. He appears to be working out better than some of the other high profile players we have seen enter the division.

That said, I do not see him being in Atlanta beyond this season regardless. I would put him in the same category as J.D. Drew. A very good player who could not wait to leave town for greener pastures.

I know he was signed as a one year bridge until Austin was ready. Looks like that plan will work out well.

I just read something on another blog chat that sort of circled a few minutes until I came back here and something caught my eye.

We have debated a few times the usefulness of some of the new “boutique” stats… or as the stat geeks like to call them, the “advanced metrics”, a name they cane up with themselves to make them sound more impressive than they really are.

But my question is more focused: Is OPS a useful measure of a hitter’s effectiveness?

Here is where that comes from…

Earlier today I poo-pooed the use of the old fashioned batting avg by itself, then turned around and put up a slash line to back up my own stance. And of course, the AVG is a component of the slash line. I tend to lean that direction since it shows all 3 traditional parts of a batter’s performance, being AVG/OBP/SLG. Which brings me back to OPS, which is the sum of OBP+SLG.

I read a guy call the OPS a silly stat because it combines 2 independent stats that should just stand alone. I’m not sure how I stand on that. On one hand, the OPS is one of the newer stat geek numbers I can relate too. Some think it’s the most accurate measure of a batter’s effectiveness: getting on base, putting the ball into play and hitting it hard.

So what say ye? OPS a good reference number? Slash line good or bad? Any other newer stats you do or don’t like? Why and why not?

Personally, I do not like the BABIP (batting avg for balls in play), or more specifically the attitude of those who espouse it. That drives me crazy because the stat geeks think they can use that number to accurately predict the future. They always say that a guy’s BABIP is “ridiculously high” and that his performance is therefor “unsustainable”, or that he’s “unlucky” because his “BABIP is extremely low”, and that all these numbers must come back to the middle.

OPS usually better defines whether or not a player is a Punch and Judy slap hitter or brings some beef to the game. One thing I find more relevant is what position does the guy play? I still think BA is important too but in reality, BA for a player’s previous 10 games is more relevant than total BA.

Most all of the advanced stats are geek food anyway to allow those foolish enough to gamble away their money to think they have an edge.

By the way, MLB suspended the Gasman 5 games for throwing at Urena. He has appealed and will pitch tonight in the opener with LA.

I do like the use of WAR (Wins Above Replacement), but not necessarily in the exact manner it is intended. I think it’s very hard to quantify a player’s worth to his team by numbers alone. However, since all WAR is calculated the same, I do think it is a decent way to compare players. For instance, Cody Bellinger currently leads the league in WAR with 2.6… and of course, he also leads the league in AVG, OBP, SLG, etc. His relative worth is that of the best in baseball thus far this season. He is followed by Chrsitan Yelich, Mike Trout, etc. In other words, the games top players do actually have the top WAR. (The top Brave is RAJ with a 1.3 WAR.)

So I do find that boutique stat at least a bit useful if not a totally accurate value placed on a player.

As long as their have been ball players and ball games, gamblers have always tried to gain an edge. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a little wager now and then but big money gambling ruins a sport. Seems like everyone wants to get rich quick.

I’m still undecided on OPS. What if a guy has a great eye and walks a ton, but doesn’t carry alot of thunder? Then there’s the slugger who strikes out alot, never walks, but when he makes contact, he hits it hard and far. Couldn’t they conceivably have a similar OPS but be quite different hitters?

It’s like the old adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or, which type BBQ do you like best? I don’t think any are carved into stone. Too many variables amongst the people involved, both players and observers.

I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied with anyone trying to reduce a player’s worth to a bunch of numbers. There are guys, like Dansby, who bring more to a game than just stats. Some guys just have an intangible that helps win games. You can never assign a number to such, yet it has great value.

Does the influence Mac is having on our young pitching staff have a number? Is his presence in the clubhouse quantified? Of course not. But it is irreplaceable.

Gausman’s 5 game suspension is ridiculous but not unexpected. He never came close to hurting Jose Urinal. And no warnings were ever given ahead of the pitch, either. IMO, the umpires should have given pre-game warnings since they were all aware of the situation. That said, Urinal’s suspension last year was of the 6 game variety, and Gausy’s 5 games is barely one trip through the rotation. So it’s really more of a slap on the wrist than anything. He’s appealing, will pitch tonight, then drop the appeal and get an extra day’s rest before his next start. Don’t be surprised to see Newcomb or Wright get a spot start in his place next week bumping everyone back and giving all the pitchers an extra day’s rest. Snit likes to do that occasionally anyway.

V, I just feel that when you put balls in play, it matters. I have seen say, MLBTR say some guy was really doing swell with a .245 BA, and a .358 OBP. Even if he did hit 32 HR’s and only drove in say, 80 RBI’s batting 6th (not gonna figure out his slugging 😉 )
so, in my mind, that guy, based on these numbers, is not really a good hitter, he guesses on pitches that aren’t strikes, or, knows he cannot hit certain pitches…so he walks some. hit some big flies, but probably sucks, with, RISP…
I just think numbers like those are based on the individual only they say, and that’s why they are good numbers. RBI’s and Runs scored have less to do with the individual, so to speak. But, guys that are smart baserunners, who take extra bases or bounce around at first annoying the pitchers…well, can’t really quantify that . RISP (another old stat mentioned above) that tells me a ton about a guy, but…he may have had a lousy hitter behind him, but…if he always has a good RISP.
BABIP, etc…if there were TONS of evidence that it really mattered…I might buy into it…but…(many sound distractions = train of thought was derailed)
IF someone like Brandon Phillips goes 18 HR 77 RBI .281 .321 .429 was better than
……………………………………………………..18 HR 103 RBI .261 .310 .396 was a down year, I don’t agree. 27 RBI’s has to be better for the team overall . Just looked up his RISP numbers, 2012 year (18 77 .281) he hit, .303 with RISP. 2013, 18 103 .261 ) RISP .338. Better year, but NO ONE will say that today…

have I made my point? Seriously, I don’t know 😛

I do like spin rate stuff, how fast the ball was off the bat…

OPS is ok…but I can just look at other numbers (more numbers) and get the same Idea….

Personally, I still prefer the eye test and not just what we see on TV because we all know TV distorts speed and distance. Lots of catches look pretty routine on TV but truly look spectacular when seen by the naked eye.

On a different note, we should all be thankful the Braves did not have the same malady befall them getting out of MIAMI as the Nats did trying to leave Philly. Sat on a plane for nine hours before busing back to their hotel at 6 AM and still have to fly to Braustwurstville for a 8 o’clock game tonight against the Brewers.

Nationals tonight: Four errors including a catcher's interference, two wild pitches. They look like a team that spent seven hours on a tarmac last night, went back to the hotel, then flew to Milwaukee this morning.

Sean Newcomb made it clear he was motivated by anger as he spent the past three weeks enduring a demotion. “I feel like I was able to get a little ticked off about it,” Newcomb said. “Obviously, you want to be here. But I was able to take that and focus on using each day to find something to get better with and not worry about something I can’t control.”

If Kevin Gausman drops his appeal of the 5-game suspension, Newk would be in line to make the spot start in Gausy’s turn. It makes sense on the surface, but it would leave the team down a reliever in the mean time as they can’t replace Gausman on the active roster during the suspension. Most likely, Newk will continue in the relief role and a starter will be called up to make that spot start next Saturday in ARI.

If you look at Gwinnett, Kolby Allard started yesterday and would line up for the start, but he hasn’t been that great in 2019, taking the L yesterday to even his record at 2-2. Bryce Wilson started on Sunday, and in my mind is the likely guy to get the callup and start.

Of course, this is predicated on Gausy dropping the appeal today. That hasn’t happened yet. It’s conceivable he wants to take this to appeal to try to reduce the games, but that is most unlikely with a starting pitcher as any reduction in games would result in a net zero effect in his game appearances, only his paycheck.

I don’t think Gausman will make any decisions in the near future. I am sure he will look for a reduction in days (3 would be about right) Remember, the team will be short a player while he serves a suspension.

despite the gambling talk on Fox sports south (and isn’t there already poker, or am I wrong?) Sinclair is a much better option than a bunch of SJW rappers buying them. Can’t believe that didn’t happen, honestly!
from wiki….a conservative leaning company????the horror, THE HORROR!!!!!Sinclair has faced scrutiny from some media critics, as well as some of its station employees, for the conservative slant of their stations’ news reporting and other programming decisions, and how the company’s rapid growth has aided the airing of content that supports these views.[2][3][4] Sinclair has also faced criticism over business practices that circumvent concentration of media ownership regulations, particularly the use of local marketing agreements, accusations that the company had been currying favor with the Trump administration in order to loosen these rules[5] and about its management lacking diversity and being totally controlled by a single family.[6] Critics including former news anchor Dan Rather have described Sinclair’s practices as being “an assault on our democracy” by disseminating what they perceive to be Orwellian-like propaganda to its local stations.[7][8][9]

The Dodgers are for real folks…I have caught at least part of their games several times this year waiting for quick pitch to start….how a team can get rid of Matt Kemp (who was released the other day by the Reds) and Puig (SP) and get better, it’s hard to believe….
I hope we can win 1 game out there….
what makes the Gausman 5 game suspension especially egregious (blog first?) was some nothing mets bullpen guy threw not once, but twice at Rhys Hoskins’ head, and only got a 2 game suspension a week or so ago. (it was a thing of beauty when Rhys hit a homer off the same pitcher I think, a day or 2 later, and took the longest home run trot in 20 years!)

Short a starting pitcher, who only pitches every 5 days anyway. That’s why any suspension less than 5 days would have no teeth.

I’m not debating the the merit of the 5-day penalty itself… just saying that suspending a starting pitcher for less than his normal rotation time – 5 days – is effectively doing nothing. As for the proportional amount of his salary a suspension will cost him, that could (and probably will) be reimbursed in some other means by the team.

Now, personally I don’t think his action warrants any kind of suspension, especially since the umpires chose not to issue any warnings to the teams prior to the game even though they were aware of the history involved and the potential for action. Had they issued such warnings to both sides, which I believe they would have been justified in doing, then any punishment handed down would be similarly justified.

As for MLB and its handpuppet Joe Torre, they really have no choice but to do something, otherwise they would set a dangerous precedent.

I guess my whole diatribe here is simply to say that in my most humble opinion, Gausy should take the suspension beginning today and enjoy an extra day of rest before his next start. And given that Snit has taken advantage of certain schedule opportunities to give all his starters an extra day of rest, and has on occasion inserted a 6th starter to accomplish the same purpose, they should just roll with it here and treat it as another opportunity to help preserve these arms deeper into the season.

If you just missed Chip say it on @FOXSportsBraves, x-rays on Max Fried’s hand were NEGATIVE. We’re being told he’s day-to-day for now. #Braves will want to see how he feels tomorrow before they come to any conclusions. But this is great news.

And of course, with the team being out on the Weird Coast, we won’t get any updates or other news until later in the afternoon.

Now as for the present, I look at tonight’s start for Folty as extremely important for the team. His first couple of starts looked like a guy that has missed time with injury. His fastball isn’t popping and his slider isn’t sharp. As a group of fans, we need to all pray that he’s back to his norm tonight or there will be cause for anxiety. Of particular concern is the fact that his velo is down on the fastball. If that continues tonight, I’ll be worried that the elbow is more problematic than he wants to admit.

If you mean the Dodgers, arguably the best team in the majors, then I agree right now. But other teams? They swept the Cubs, won a series at Cleveland, split a four-game series with the Padres and won the season series with the Rockies. https://t.co/UGpLIkmOrp

Perspective from Mr. O’B. I think it’s really easy these days with the crushing avalanche of micro-analysis to swing high and low from game to game. But over the course of 162 of them, that’s alot of swinging. As the old cliche goes, it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

And of course, the Braves are still at .500 (18-18) and just 2.5 games back of the division lead. Could be the Nationals (14-21), who are obviously cursed. They have my symp—- no… no they don’t.

DOB is right, but, the first time we played the Rockies, and cubs(just saw, 1st place cubs, wow), they were losing to everyone. Not the case now. Cleveland is in 2nd place, 4 games back, in the weakest division .
Of course, everyone is losing to the Dodgers now, they have won, what, 10 in a row in L.A.???
It’s just, if you watch the braves vs the Dodgers, right now as the 2 teams are constructed…they’d sweep us in the playoffs. Only weakness they have right now, IMHO, is closerwise. Kenley Jansen is getting by on grit , and smarts right now. Dave Roberts has overworked him in the playoffs for several years now, and sadly I believe it’s caught up with him…but, they will no doubt get someone to help out if Jansens velo (see, I’m up with the terminology the youngsters use) comes back some…

Gil, I missed the first few innings (and of course the last few) what happened exactly, defensively?
just saw the camera shot from above and behind home plate and wow, did that that liner really go far from hitting Fried’s hand! A minor miracle that he didn’t get a broken arm. Can’t imagine he will be able to pitch next time out, but , he’s a kid…and a tough one…

Still no word on how Fried’s hand is doing today. His post-game comments pointed toward him not missing his next start, but I don’t think the team can make a complete judgement on that until they see how it looks and feels today. According to Fried, and by the way the video looked, the baseball appeared to strike him in the “meaty” part of the hand and thankfully missed bone. Still, a muscle contusion can certainly affect his grip, so his next start is still iffy as far as I am concerned.

Early speculation says Newk is in line to make Fried’s next start coming off 2 very good looking relief innings on Monday, which would obviously take him out of the bullpen. And since Josh Tomlin had to go 4 innings last night, he’s out for a couple of games himself. I do not believe the Braves can be short 2 arms in their bullpen for the next couple of games. I think this hurts Newk’s chances of getting that start if it’s necessary.

It all that adds up thus: If Fried can make his next start, Newk can remain in the pen and we roll on as usual. If Fried cannot make that start, Newk should still work out of the bullpen until Fried’s turn when another pitcher will have to come up and make that start, likely costing Newk his roster spot. That sucks, right? The guy has done all the right things to earn his way back but might still get demoted. In a perfect world, he’d be given the opportunity to start that game. But unless I’m off base (pun fully intended), the roster constraints will simply work against him.

well, at least things look good down on the farm…man, will probably flip away soon….Folty is hitting 96, but every single Dodgers hitter somehow is very patient, yet swings for the fences, and sadly, it works…

well, tip your cap time…sigh…R.A. Jr finally hit a homer, and they did score some…some runs, 5-4 Dodgers, ran Kershaw out in the 7th (great curve, but man fastball was barely 90, and little movement) but, even facing mainly lefties in the 7th, A.J….stunk…flat out stunk….then Webb put out the fire, 7-4 Dodgers, then he gave up a 2 run homer to the Red head next inning….9-4. Joe Kelly , who had been beyond terrible, 10 + ERA, looked great against the bravos in the 9th…
other than FF’s 3 hits, Acuna’s first homer in weeks , and a double by JD, not much to write home about…
Folty’s stuff is much better than the 2019 Kershaw, but…Kershaw is smarter….
Braves had 11 hits, but only 4 runs, Dodgers 9 hits, 9 runs….
On to AZ…hope they are cooling off….

Too late for this fella. Much like Sgt. Schultz, I saw nothing. But even at that, I know the Braves are a good team that will be a great team… but just aren’t there yet. They are not yet a real match for the $200M Dodgers, who are arguably the best team in baseball. Heck, they have 7 players who make an AAV of $12M or more, plus some terrific youngsters like Alex Verdugo, Walker Beuhler and Corey Seager. So you take your lumps this year and move on knowing that we have some key pieces on the horizon that will help push our team to the next level.

And in some fairness, the Dodgers are 15-4 at home thus far this season. The Braves are not their only victims.

On Folty, obviously I didn’t see him, but I have seen his line: 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 2 K, 4 BB. Ber, you said his fastball topped at 96? That’s not his norm. Bowman also noted the decrease in velo but did say that Folty’s slider looked better. That is at east a little encouraging, but I do not like the overall picture. Time for concern?

Folty actually looked good I thought. He was sailing along and then a solo homer, a single and then a 2 run homer… Really only one bad pitch thrown but the Dodgers are the best team I have seen play this year and I watch a lot of baseball. They not only have an awesome first string line up but their subs are really every day players anywhere else.

Still early, the Braves are still ahead of everyone else in their division so there is that. I doubt the Braves are sad to put LA in their rear view mirror. Not like the Dodgers aren’t beating the snot out of everyone one else too.

So on this 10 game road trip, we are sitting at 3-3 in fairly non-surprising fashion. We took care of an inferior team in MIA and got beaten by a superior team in LA.

One of the things about math is that it never lies. If we split with ARI, we’ll also split the road trip. And I think that before they left, we would have all agreed that a 5-5 road trip to MIA and the Weird Coast would be considered a success. More times than not, any .500 road trip should be considered a success.

In the next 4 games, the Braves will start Soroka tonight, followed by Julio, Gausy and Fried (hopefully). Assuming Fried is good to go on Sunday, and also assuming that neither he nor Soroka get drilled by any more line drives, I like our chances alot for those 2 games. Julio’s Friday start comes against Zack Greinke, whose 2019 WHIP (.096) and BAA (.220) are both better than his career numbers (1.17 & .246 respectively). And his 2019 ERA is close (3.42 vs. 3.39). Gausy’s Saturday start vs. Merrill Kelly might be the key game of the series.

And another thing… I am not sure having the team hype Riley is all that much of a good thing. Not saying it isn’t better news than to have him slumping but folks should keep in mind that he is hitting against AAA and quad A pitching right now. I expect he will have a chance to bring his bat into the mix in the big A at some point this season, at least he won’t be worn out from having to run hard to first maybe… 🙂

I am not sure having the team hype Riley is all that much of a good thing… folks should keep in mind that he is hitting against AAA and quad A pitching right now.

Ender Inciarte over the last 7 games: .190/.261/.286

Can Ender hit AAA and quad A pitching right now? Did you know he actually has 2 minor league options left? Of course, that would destroy any trade value he might have left and is therefore quite unlikely.

Speaking of Ender’s trade value, maybe that’s why Austin Riley is playing OF now. It would not be a surprise at all if Ender is being shopped in search of needed pitching. Maybe Cristian Pache will be ready at some point on 2020, but he’s not right now. So perhaps Riley can cover an OF spot while waiting for his 3B position to open up in 2020.

The Giants obviously want prospects for MadBum, but also have a dire need for OF’s. Maybe Thoppy offers Bryce Wilson and Ender. Considering MadBum is a half season rental, that’s a premium price… but maybe a good deal for both sides. And if they want more, then Thoppy should request a window to negotiate an extension prior to a deal, then he can include more… and maybe even expand the deal to bring back a reliever as well.

V, thanks for the link on Wright….nice that the minor-league pitching coordinator Dom Chiti saw something he could fix….interesting that Joe Simpson noticed that Folty was holding his hands much higher in the set position….I really like hearing Joe with Chip. Joe simply knows things, has stories that a 35 Y.O. Frenchy can’t compete with…Frenchy’s been…decent. It’s funny, when you listen to Frenchy compared to Glavine, you’d think Frenchy was the HOF’er, and Glavine was the guy with the mediocre career..he’s not terrible, and has gotten better, but I hope Joe works at least 1/3 of the game from here on out…

V, IF MadBum is throwing a bit harder this year (I think I have heard that) there will be a bidding war, and a slumping CF’er with no power, and one of our 2nd tier pitching prospects, won’t get it done, though as you point out, it is for half a season.
well, I could be way off base…man, did the Astros rob the tigers in 2017…the 3 guys they got back are still in the minors, and not doing much there….

MLBTR: Trade speculation has swirled around Madison Bumgarner for months, and such buzz figures to grow even louder as we approach the trade deadline due to Bumgarner’s solid results. After a pair of injury-marred seasons, Bumgarner has been healthy and effective this year, with a 3.92 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and a 6.14 K/BB rate that projects as the best of his career. As ESPN’s Buster Olney notes in a subscriber-only column, Bumgarner is throwing his fastball more often than in recent years, and with better velocity. While “the front offices of 2019 don’t necessarily believe in intangibles and mostly won’t pay for them,” Olney wonders if a proven postseason performer like Bumgarner might also benefit from a move to a contending team, similar to how Cole Hamels was reinvigorated after being dealt from the Rangers to the Cubs last summer. With the Giants in last place in the NL West and looking like a deadline seller, it will be interesting to see what San Francisco can acquire for its longtime ace in July, assuming the team indeed does want to move Bumgarner.

Again, with only the remainder of this season under contract, MadBum won’t bring back more than 1 top 10 prospect in a package. If the Giants were to grant an interested team permission to negotiate an extension – or perhaps more importantly if MadBum is even interested in an extension – the return price would obviously grow remarkably. And given the recent treatment of players (pitchers in particular) age 30 and above by GMs, the 29-year-old MadBum might want to look for some security now while he can.

Speaking of Folty… just heard that he has never in his career pitched 6.0 innings or more and notched just 2 K’s. And both of those last night came on sliders; none on the fastball. Combine that with the drop in velo and the easy conclusion is that the elbow is not OK, regardless of how anyone is trying to spin it.

Why would the team try to suppress what is quite obvious to anyone paying attention? Perhaps they do not want to appear desperate in their hunt for starting pitching on the trade market. Surely they are engaged in the hunt. Surely.

meanwhile, have you all seen what a TERRIBLE trade the Pirates made for Mr. excellent peripheral stats guy, Chris Archer???? the now 30 year old Archer still has swell outside wins/ERA numbers (and is on the DL err…IL, hate that new name, I am so open to new things in baseball) 3-3 in 10 starts last year, 4.30 ERA in 52 innings. this year, before a thumb injury… 1-2 in 5 starts, 4.33 ERA in 27 innings. He is basically Julio T. No innings, ave era. Meanwhile, Tampa got Tyler Glasnow, who this year in 7 starts is 6-0 with a league leading 1.47 ERA! to be fair, the 25 year old hasn’t looked like an Ace in Pittsburgh, but after one terrible year as a starter, they had him pitch in the bullpen, where he was just mediocre .
but wait, there’s more! the pirates also gave up Austin Meadows, who, before going on the I.L in 83 AB’s was hitting .352, with 6 HR’s and 19 RBI’s. The cheap for a good reason Rays are 23-13 and in 1st place. The cheap for no good reason Pirates are 17-16, and in 4th place…

I still believe some team will pick up released Matt Kemp as soon as the price falls in line.

Any team that signs him would only have to pay him a pro-rated portion of the league minimum as Cincy (with LA paying $3.5M and SD paying $2.5M) is on the hook for the remaining amount of the $21.75M remaining on the last year of that albatross deal. Kemp has been out with a broken rib since April 23. He broke it crashing into an OF wall chasing a fly ball. After the game he told the media, “I fought the wall and the wall won.” 😆

The flip side to this is that Newk looked completely dominant in his 1 inning appearance. He was filthy… looked like he had some attitude, too. Not sure he is ready to take over a closer’s role, but he sure has the “stuff” to pull it off. At the very least he looks capable of pitching in high leverage innings in a setup role.

If AJ goes down. which he really needs to do at this point to work out his kinks, who comes back? Jonny Venters? Jesse Biddle?

I think Biddle is a good candidate. When he went on the IL, he stated he thought he was tipping his pitches and would address that. The results look good. In 3 rehab appearances at AAA Gwinnett, he’s pitched 4 scoreless innings, including yesterday when he struck out 2 in his 1 inning in which he threw 18 pitches (13 strikes). On Monday, he went 2 innings, also striking out 2 and tossing just 23 pitches (17 strikes). Maybe the biggest stat is that he’s not walking anyone.

One last thing. Before we get too down on Minter, let’s not forget he missed a large portion of spring training after the auto accident that injured his shoulder. Maybe the time lost in spring is the root of his problems, or maybe there is some lingering issue with his shoulder. Whatever it is, he needs to work it out where the games don’t hurt us in the standings. I think he’ll be back and as strong as he’s ever been at some point this summer. But he’s just not there right now.

I hate to say neither LH’ers CORBIN CLOUSE [7-day], or THOMAS BURROWS have yet to fill slots in the pen. I really thought by now CLOUSE would be rolling in ATLANTA. Never had much faith in JACOB WEBB, yet here he is, and the other two are not. CLOUSE was the one I thought most ready for the leap to the majors. I thought BURROWS needed more AAA experience first. Maybe a half season, but alas and alack, CLOUSE is injured, and BURROWS is proving he’s not yet ready.

This is incredible. Josh Donaldson just noticed something that gave away Greg Holland's slider so he moved up in the box. Holland stepped off, came back with the slider, and Donaldson hit it a mile. Next level stuff. pic.twitter.com/14oaJz4S5Z

well, I decided to not comment after the game last night, lest I said something just a tad bit mean….
offense has gone to sleep once we went west of the Mississippi. you won’t win much when you score 9 runs over 4 games. Starters are fine. tiny, tiny “issue” with Mike S, is he throws a lot of pitches per inning. He was in and out of trouble last night, stuff wasn’t as good as usual, and still didn’t give up but 1 lousy run!
It was weird with Luke last night, stuff was great, then poof! Slider just completely left him. And Minter…I have seen him hit 97, which I don’t remember before, perhaps throwing too hard? I don’t know, but he’s just no good no matter when he comes in a game…hopefully, a few weeks in AAA will straighten him out….

He did struggle, yet still only gave up the 1 ER. Just heard this stat… for the year, opposing hitters are just 2 for 37 with RISP against Mike Soroka. That is mind-boggling. That is elite. That is ace-like.

V, that’s interesting…perhaps he was throwing the curve since the slider, wasn’t…he hit 97 2 times, so I am ok with mixing in a few of those with the off-speed stuff…especially when they aren’t working…

Just a note on AUSTIN RILEY.’s 13th HR.
The opposing pitcher [J.C. SHEPARD 0-5, 9.88 ERA, 2.30 WHIP] isn’t a ML, or even a AAA quality arm.
Not as of last night anyway.
And that arm is RH’d.
AUSTIN has 1 HR against LH’ers, 12 against RH’ers.
And I suspect that’s why DONALDSON is in ATLANTA and RILEY is not.
Has handedness retarded AR’s present, and will it play a part in RILEY’s future?
The season continues………

“….rockets in flight, afternoon delight….”
Well, maybe night-time, but still…..five STRIPER bombs leave home plate destined for earth beyond the outfield.
STRIPERS win an 8-4 contest.
PAWSOX pitchers [4] left much to be desired.
GWINNETT starter BRYSE WILSON had a rough line himself, but ultimately prevailed with his first “W” in AAA.

Watching the game and seeing BMac hit a long homer in the 7th. I remember seeing Brian play when he a nd Frenchy came up in 2005 and everyone was raving about Jeff AKA The Natural and Josie was steadfast in her belief that Brian was the better player and would have the better career.

nice to see the closer’s close back to back nights! Well, I didn’t see it friday, as it was raining hard enough to knock Directtv off…but, I heard Luke was good 😉 I did see Webb tonight, not bad, but Peralta, don’t blame Snit a bit (hey, that rhymes 😛 ) for bringing in Venters…glad he got the job done…

a couple of vague thoughts before they completely fade away….
V, said a few days ago… The half year rental is the key. No sane GM should give up the farm for 3 months of pitching. it’s quite possible, one can never quite figure things out…. Aroldis Chapman was traded by the Yankees to the Cubs in July of 2016, for Gleyber Torres…then the Yankees re-signed him of course…of course, the cubs won their first W.S. in 1000 + years, so it was all worth it
Really looks like the Tigers should have just kept Verlander, did nothing for them to trade him away. Astros also ripped off the Pirates for Garrett Cole…got 4 mediocre players, with plenty of years of control. Forever .500 should by the Pirates ownership’s motto…
oh, what else…V, think the Giants are wishing they hadn’t given up on Hunter Pence???? 7 HR’s (should be 8, but Astros RF’er jumped about as high as you will ever seen anyone jump and rob him Thursday) 24 RBI’s .338 BA, .412 OBP.
Any guesses as to which ex-brave has 9 HR’s and 23 RBI’s ???? If you guessed Tommy La Stella, you cheated! Career high was 5 before this year.

Gordon, I too really enjoy hearing how everyone is doing down on the farm! Feel like I’m more aware of all the prospects, and near prospects….

Okay, my mistake, it was the 8th inning for the Nits but just recently acquired Gerardo Parra hit a pinch hit grand slam with two outs to put the Nats up 5 -2. The win so everyone but the Marlins won yesterday.

Talk about getting old… Watching Jonny Venters close out the game last night, I can remember seeing him as a starter in Richmond and thinking, he won’t ever make it as a big leaguer. He was just all over the place with his pitches.

Well, it is tough being right all the time.

I still feel uneasy seeing him come in but you have to have a bit of luck to pitch in the Show too.

Does anyone else feel like Ozzie and Harriet are not quite the defensive wizards up the middle the Braves would like us to believe. Way too many unforced errors for my taste. Methinks they need to practice their throws to first…

One last comment for now: Every player the D’Backs put in the outfield somehow becomes an All-Star when playing the Braves. From clutch hits to outfield assist to 5 star catches robbing Braves hitters of homeruns and base hits. First thing I thought about last night seeing Parra come to bat for the Nats was how he threw out two players at the plate in one game. Maybe they just get up more when playing the Bravos…

Yes Vee, it takes the sting out of getting whoupped up on three straight games. They pretty much did the same to the Nats.

So, my faith in watching the Braves having been restored, I good to go this week. Both the team and I needed today’s off day however.

Did y’all hear what Joe said yesterday about the baseballs? That the IL switched to the current major league ball and the number of homeruns hit has doubled but the other minor leagues stayed with their normal ball and the homeruns have not changed.

I say they have changed the center of the ball, made it tighter wound. I hope they don’t kill someone with it. The may start having the pitcher wear a batting helmet.

“Austin Riley’s power-hitting binge with the Braves’ Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate is almost cartoonish, but it’s so serious that team officials are adjusting plans on the fly and looking for a way to get his scorching bat to the big leagues.” DOB, The Athletic 5/12/19

For those wondering if Riley is feasting on journeyman pitchers at Triple A or just getting a steady diet of fastballs over the plate from raw prospects, that’s not the case.

“No, we faced some good arms,” Venters said. “Dude, he’s hit everything. The other day, he hit a slider in Durham. He was out in front and still yanked it and got it out by a lot. He’s hitting heaters. Duvey’s (Duvall) is the same way; he’s been hitting heaters in, breaking balls. They’ve both been swinging the bat really well.” IBid

“Freeman, batting .308 with seven homers and a .929 OPS, including a .403 on-base percentage that ranked eighth in the NL before Sunday, needs just four home runs and four doubles to become the sixth player in franchise history with at least 200 homers and 300 doubles. He would join an illustrious group that includes Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Chipper Jones, two-time MVP Dale Murphy and Braves Hall of Famer Andruw Jones.” Ibid

Now that is impressive, I did not realize how close Freddie was to that milestone. DOB said that Freddie played sick the first three games in Phoenix and nearly had to come out of the game after hitting a triple Saturday. I thought he looked “gassed” after running out that triple.

The day off after the long road trip will help a lot. It appeared to me the Braves had a lot of short turn-a-rounds last season.

Freddie should be a Braves lifer. I hope that the powers that be get an extension worked out with him, similar to those that Chipper took late in his career, that will keep Freddie here for the duration. I believe that both sides should be – and would be – open to such.

As for Austin Riley, I get that there has been some discussion here about his L/R splits. That’s certainly a factor, but I do want to point out something– While the young RH slugger has hit 12 of his 14 HRs vs RH pitchers, he also has 3 times as many plate appearances vs RH pitchers (111 vs RH, 46 vs LH). Plus, that split is opposite of the typical split for most batters, who typically hit better vs opposite sided tossers. So as for me, I am not too concerned with those power splits.

One more thing…

His unusual splits can also be seen in his AVG, being .333 vs RH and .211 vs LH. But can I just say that even the .211 vs LH is better than what Ender is giving us vs. any arm?

I hate to sound so down on Ender. He is a Gold Glove caliber CF’er, and I appreciate that gift. But one dimensional players are a thing of the past. Championship teams can’t afford holes in the batting order. They just can’t.

V, sadly, this is par for the course for Ender….he seems to be trying to fix some issues, had a big hit the other way yesterday….so, one thing I can kinda/sorta relate/feel for A.A. on is, do you basically give Ender away now, or wait a month or two til he heats up to get more value, then, trade a guy that is helping the team?
And as much as we all would love Riley to come up, have you all noticed how Vladimir Guerrero Jr has done since coming up? 9 for 47, for a .191 BA. No homers…and he’s a guy that simply destroyed minor league pitching….not everyone is Acuna on the first day of play… of course, he’s been so hyped up, I think every pitcher is pitching him like a HOF’er…actually saw an amazing play at 3rd from him the other day, I see why he’s playing there…
man, if there was only a DH in the NL this year….rotation everyone there, plenty of playing time for everyone….
Of course, if JD hurts his calve again….

No need to explain typos Ber, no grammar police allowed at the B & S… We all have them between spell check, auto correct and just getting in a hurry. It would only be worse if with we all used Dragon. Would look like the ridiculous closed caption translations on Sports South during ballgame broadcast.

By the way, can we all agree that AA hit it out of the park with Brian McCann? How many times did we wring our hands over losing out on JPR, only to have our current tandem of McFlow leading the NL East from that position?

Tip of the cap to you Thoppy for your foresight. Perhaps you know what you’re doing with regard to potential relievers also.

Gausy did indeed drop his appeal of suspension following his start Saturday. Coincidence that he dropped it on the same week that there is an off day, allowing Fried to slide back one slot and start Friday’s game on his regular 5 day’s rest? I don’t think so.

Also, Kyle Wright was optioned back to AAA after yesterday’s game. No corresponding move has been made yet, but I expect to see Touki return tomorrow when he’s eligible.

A SF beat writer says that the Giants are looking for 2 “close to major league ready” prospects for MadBum.

You are most likely talking pitchers, too. So you can figure Touki Toussaint as the centerpiece, with Bryce Wilson also on the radar. I’m sure they’d prefer Kyle Wright, but that’s highway robbery. (For me, I’m not trading Wright unless Mike Trout or Jacob deGrom is in the deal.) There is also some speculation that they would take Touki plus one of Cristian Pache or Drew Waters.

I almost would just as soon ride out the season with what we have and just try to lock him up as a FA over the offseason. But he sure would look good anchoring this young staff down the stretch, especially if Folty continues to exhibit elbow issues (whether he admits it or not).

This is a kid I’ve been following since his DSL days in 2014.
Mixed results, looked good in DANVILLE, but returned to repeat the course after he was smoked in ROME.
Up until now, he’s started, but this season, he’s been used exclusively in a relief role.
The results are promising so far.
A 3-0 record, 1.47 ERA/.082 WHIP.
What I think the BRAVES like is his ability in long-relief.
Once thru an order, he seems pretty dominant, but the second time, the hitters see what he’s doing and counter it while he is slow to react.
That’s been a pretty strong trait of his pitching going all the way back to the DOMINICAN Leagues.
Jury’s still out, but he does show some promise going forward in relief.

Promotions to FLORIDA

RHRP LUKAS YOUNG Jr.
Promoted to A+
Stellar results so far this year. 12 outings without being scored upon, 1.000 WHIP.
BOSOX cut him loose. Sometimes a change in scenery is a good thing.
I think he will do well with this promotion.
RHRP KURT HOEKSTRA finding solid success after scuffling about the infield, and outfield for several years before putting that golden arm to good use.
I’m all in on his success.
I hope it continues with this promotion

to fill the two slots at ROME:
RHRP WILLIAM WOODS
RHRP MATT HARTMAN
both promoted from extended spring training.

MISSISSIPPI

CRISTIAN PACHE

The rise in walks as pointed out by MATT POWERS is significant.
Comparatively, DREW WATERS has been the meteor to CRISTIAN PACHE’s bottle rocket this season.
PACHE has consistently held the weaker bat.
WATERS has been having a stellar campaign so far, but in fact, PACHE has also, just not as spectacularly.
I like the more steady improvement in PACHE’s offensive game.
Hereto for, his bat has lagged far behind his defensive abilities.
He’s catching up by a considerable margin in 2019, and the number of walks to plate appearances clearly shows that improvement.
Last year’s slugging results in MISSISSIPPI in 104 AB’s was .337 on 3 2B, 1 3B, and 1 HR.
This year’s .521 on 9 2B, 4 3B, and 3 HR in 121 AB’s.
His OBP is .356 this year, .294 in 2018
Even stolen bases have improved. 2018 0 SB-2 CS; 2019 5 SB-5 CS.
Last off-season, I feared PACHE would be great defense, no offense, but now I think he may carry a solid bat to the majors in one+ years

When evaluating pitchers, a couple of things remain constant, the distance from home plate to the pitching rubber and the width of home plate. Super important to be able to throw pitches in the strike zone and also be able to avoid bats.

I have been dealing with a really slow internet connection today. No idea where the problem lies but I won’t abide by it for long.

The Braves today recalled RHP Wes Parsons from Triple-A Gwinnett and returned LHP Jesse Biddle from his major league rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the 10-day IL. In order to make room on the active roster, the club designated LHP Jerry Blevins for assignment. Atlanta Press Office

We shall see with Biddle, he is pretty deep in my doghouse.

Any else remember Manny Baunoles? Was the starting pitcher for the White Sox today and gave up 3 home runs in 4 + innings to Cleveland.

Semi-interesting moves. Blevins and Jonny Venters are essentially the same pitcher, so that’s not terribly surprising. Biddle was tipping his pitches before being sent down and spent the last few weeks working on that. His results in Gwinnett were decent… 5.1 IP, 6 Ks, just 1 walk, 3.38 ERA. Parsons was not bad before, just got caught up in the numbers game.

Personally, I think Biddle can be good, and has been at times. He just needs some consistency.

One thing I do find intriguing is that by DFA’ing Blevins, the team opens up a spot on the 40-man. Happenstance or intentional? I suppose we shall see at some point,, eh?

That was certainly one fugly pitching performance last night by the Braves. Folty is not ready to pitch and Biddle is still awful. He is Luke Jackson when Luke is bad… Back to the drawing board fellas.

Yeah, Folty was terrible yesterday, I did see a few 95, but nothing sliders, and the fastballs were basically batting practice…Wonder how stubborn Folty is, and not telling how his arm really feels?

Typical DOB on twitter today…makes a really good point (why was Blevens DFA’ed, who only had one bad game in LA, for Biddle, who didn’t even get one out) then someone has some fun asking him about Riley if coming up tomorrow, was today, or Tomorrow, since he made it right after midnight…and he tweets, when did I say Today or tomorrow in the tweet? and , people show that he did indeed say he was coming up in a re-tweet of his original tweet….

V, so where do you think Riley bat? 6th? Without Ender, someone has to bat 8th (the catchers now? can’t be Ozzie, right?) Perhaps time to go back to the pitcher batting 8th?

A question: Does Riley start or does Camargo start in left field tonight?

About velocity…. It has been well documented that velocity is not the be all end all but looking at it from a little different perspective, I am coming to believe that some pitchers need the velocity (arm speed) needed for a 96 mph fastball to generate the spin needed to cause a slider or curve to do what a slider or curve is supposed to do. Otherwise, a pitcher basically has to learn how to pitch all over again. Thus, we have the saga of Folty…. He is having to think way too much right now instead of just rearing back and letting it go.

Look at Jonny Venters last night, bless his heart. He knows what to do, he just does not have the zip needed to get movement required to avoid batters striking the ball on the sweet spot.

As for Biddle, until he can throw the ball where he wants it to go, he is doomed to having hitters sitting on a fastball over the plate because he does not want to walk the batter. That said, I don’t think he knows where the ball is going to end up.

Gil, I think you have to start him, right? He’ll just die sitting on the bench…. It’s tough to learn a new position on the fly, at the big league level. I wonder if Washington helps outfielders at all, or if some other coach(s) will help him?

And somehow I forgot that Austin Riley was not already on the 40-man roster. It’s simply that we’ve heard about him so much that it seems as though he should have already been added. And Biddle had no minor league options remaining so he has to be traded or released, thus the DFA.

So there really is no underlying covert strategy afoot. Just business as usual.

Luke Jackson comes into the game with 2 on, no outs and promptly induces a hitter to ground into a double play and then strikes out Ozuna one a nasty slider. Chip dubs him “Cool Hand Luke” … I concur… 🙂

I enjoy doing it.
On the old AJC’s O’Brien blog, I began these reports after the BRAVES pulled out of RICHMOND.
A way to assuage my angst for loosing the immediacy of BRAVES baseball, I suppose.
I got tired of folks saying, ” where’d this guy come from,” or “why did the BRAVES organization do that?”
Anyway, as the season wears on, so do my left and right index fingers.
The Dominican League kicks off soon, then after the draft, the rookie-ball begins.
To put up a full report at that point takes several hours of hunting and pecking.
Consequently, I usually include parts only like last night’s report.
BTW, FLORIDA played a double-header which they swept, and ROME did as well giving the minor’s all wins.
As an old schoolteacher, I just think the more you know, the better fan you become.
That’s why I enjoy this venue so much.
The people who post here are well informed, and not unkind in their remarks.
I do still post up results on the blog that became the successor to O’Brien’s, but I rarely comment otherwise.
Thank you for your allowing me to satisfy my need for BRAVES baseball.

Lost in yesterday’s celebration of Austin Riley Day (well justified) was another sparkling performance by Mike Soroka. He is easily the best pitcher on the Braves, and maybe in the NL. He’s surgeon on the mound in a manner I haven’t seen since… well, I don’t want to heap too many accolades too soon. But a certain HOF lefty that makes occasional appearances in the Braves broadcast booth probably would not disagree.

Starting pitching does make a huge difference in how your night will go doesn’t it? I am beginning to believe that Julio is finally learning to adapt to his new situation and pitching according to his abilities as they exist today. It is nice to throw 100mph but when you don’t have it to throw, learn how to make your change up dive.

Well, sadly, Dad and I were out and about whilst Riley hit his homer, oh man, do I wish I could of seen that live! I bet y’all were whoopin’ and hollerin’ when it happened, and scaring the household! 😉

It really is amazing what Soroka has done this year! beyond amazing…pray his shoulder is sound, for many a year….along with Fried, they have really hit the ground running. It makes one wonder what we really need, rotation wise…do we want to give up 2 young arms, for Madison B? Is he still a difference maker, or just a good #2???? ASSUMING Folty is having some tendinitis, or mechanical issue (not a word on the drop in velo, is there?) and as I type this, yeah, I can see why we would then need MadBum if he goes down for the year…but…otherwise, we have Soroka, Fried, Gausman (though I have a thought about him that might solve another issue) Julio, Folty…so, lets say you toss in Julio and that gives you the room for MadBum then???
I’d almost rather go with another kid, (Newcomb again?) but then as I type that…innings issues…

ok, that was clear as mud…

Gausman, a bit like Julio, good start, bad start, good start….
Gausman throws 97 as a starter…and hasn’t been that good this year….can you imagine him coming out to close, would he hit 100???? Just a thought….

Ber, honestly, I did not whoop or holler but I did grin like a possum eating persimmons. You could tell it was gone by the way it left the bat and it was no cheapie either 432 feet to right center. You could also tell the fans were going crazy, a beautiful sight to behold.

I don’t know if Mad Bum is the answer, or Dallas Keuchel after the draft or they give Newk another go at it. I don’t know if they don’t already have the answer in the system, just a matter of finding someone who has the maturity to pitch and face some adversity without melting down.

And the maturity factor, is that not really the problem? Okay, maybe not so much with Folty right now, I think we can all see he has other issue that are leading to the melt downs, so a combination of things for him.

Touki has shown he can pitch successfully at the major league level but he seems to have trouble when he has too much time to think about it. Not good for a starter.

No looking back at AUSTIN RILEY for these guys.
STRIPERS absolutely demolish the BISONS 11-2.
Eight extra basers out of 13 hits, four yard-shots included.
SP BRYSE WILSON and RP JASON CREASY dealing filth, allowing only four hits.
Total trounce-job all ’round.

Julio is a different pitcher when he keeps the fastball down and mixes in the slider liberally. He actually has a very good slider, but inexplicably falls in love with the fastball at times which is quite ineffective on its own. One can’t help but notice that his worst games happened when pitching coach Rick Kranitz was away from the team on personal matters, and his resurgence occurred after Kranitz returned. It also doesn’t hurt that Mac has become his regular catcher, either. Again, props to Thoppy for going against the grain and making a key signing amidst a backlash of negative reaction. Mac’s worth to this pitching staff cannot be measured in $$.

One has to believe that the assemblage of your catching corp should be predicated on the experience of your pitching staff. B-Mac looks really good behind the dish and his offense has been a very pleasant surprise. I had to laugh at his base running last night as he rumbled home from second.

Parra has been a spark plug for the lagging Nats offense. Who saw that coming?

I am wondering if Julio T is throwing even softer, to have a better idea where the “fastball” is going. hey, whatever works. Of course, if you throw 100 pitches in 5 innings a fair bit, you are really going to tax the bullpen….
well, I am really going to go on a limb and say Austin Riley is the real deal…I am sure there will be ups and downs, but to have that kind of crazy power ( 1/4 of an inch higher, and he would have 2 home runs in 2 games) and to be willing to hit it right back up the middle ….wow. Very impressive!
Is Ender Wally Pipp Jr?

Riley only swung at one first pitch in two nights, that a curveball from Wainwright in second AB tonight. Riley said he guessed right, since Wainwright had thrown a bunch of curves for strikes. "He threw it there," and he swung and hit an RBI single.

“Pitching behind him is amazing. It’s kind of fun to see him do his thing, to go out there and compete and have great efforts. When I get the ball, I just want to do the same thing.” — Braves’ Julio Teheran on rookie Mike Soroka (0.98 ERA)

“Teheran’s ERA was also higher than 4.00 before he got it to 3.88 on Thursday with his third consecutive outing in which he allowed one or no runs. The former All-Star pitcher said he has been inspired by the sparkling performances of Soroka and Fried, who’ll start a home-series opener Friday against Milwaukee.

“The (young) guys have been doing a great job,” Teheran said. “Soroka — pitching behind him is amazing. It’s kind of fun to see him do his thing, to go out there and compete and have great efforts. When I get the ball, I just want to do the same thing. That’s what it’s about. … They’ve been doing a great job. Pitching in front of one and behind the other, it’s fun. It’s fun whenever you get to have a rotation like that.”” The Athletic” DOB 5/17/19

“It’s big for those (young) guys,” Snitker said. “I never really realized how important it was until I’ve been sitting in this seat and see the importance of what that does for your clubhouse and the attitude and how they go about it, how they prepare and how they carry themselves when you have people that carry themselves so professionally. And there’s no highs and lows; it’s the same every day. You’ve got to be like that in this business. And it’s a really good group.

“For the pitchers, a guy like Julio, all he does is take the ball, keeps himself ready, prepares, trains, and that’s important. Because this is a tough job. There’s layers you pull off becoming a major leaguer, that bona fide major leaguer. And some of the things they go through, they have to experience themselves.

“There’s nobody they can talk to about experiences until they get it — there’s some things they’ve got to go through and experience and learn from that. But what these guys provide them, the leadership and example and all, is really, really good.”

Said McCann: “For me, that’s what I enjoy now more than anything in the game, kind of passing down information that I’ve learned over the years. I’ve played with some of the best players who’ve ever played the game, and I’ve picked all their brains every day. I got the routines of what these great guys were doing so I can pass that along.” Ibid

What y’ll were saying about McCann vs JTR. Realmuto is a great catcher IMO but the intangibles that B-Mac brings along is the real value in his signing. I am sure Alex and his group of egg heads in the stats department were conflicted about signing a 35 year old guy who is on the downward side of his career and post knee surgery but at the bargain basement price of $2MM figured what the heck. So far so good and if the Braves can just get the top of their order all clicking at the same time, well, look out NL East.

It is amazing they are only 1-1/2 games out now. Lots of baseball yet to play and the Riley saga is only in its opening act. Already though, people are saying “Who was this Wally Pipp fellow folks keep referencing”? 🙂

An original ROX recruit in 2008, after knocking around the minor’s for 10 years, he elected FA and was picked up by the BRAVES in Nov. 2018 with a ST invite. With the results to date, he could make a run at MATT JOYCE’s slot if the BRAVES feel so inclined. I think he has potential for a fourth OF slot, but with RILEY, CAMARGO, JOYCE and CULBERSON clouding the issue, I’m afraid he loses to a numbers game here. He would make a good trade chip at the deadline if he keeps up this level of offense.

A second round pick of the REDS in 2010, twice called up for a cup of coffee by CINCINNATI, he elected FA in 2015. Picked up by the Bosox, another cup of coffee, another FA election. ANGELS come calling with a spring invite, but alas, sent to AAA once again, then designated for assignment. Traded to the A’s at RYAN’s urging no doubt. Another ML cup of coffee with the A’s then gone a third time to the minor’s. TWINS, cup of coffee, gone, Chisox, cup of coffee, gone. And now the BRAVES. This is a classic AAAA+ player, almost good enough, not quite ML material. Despite his current results, AA will prolly trade for some cash, or waiver him. He’s a good AAA player right now. His BB/SO ratio [8/29] against RH’ers seems to be the obvious impediment to success. Maybe he can coach? Teachers teach well what they most need to learn.

Acquired by trade from RANGERS for RH LUCAS HARRELL, and LH DARIO ALVAREZ.
Of the three, i rate DEMERITTE the keeper. A high powered bat in the lower minors as a RANGER farmhand, he excelled at the plate early on in Carolina, then swooned. He’s been learning how to hit since his arrival in 2016, and is making steady progress. I see him as a fourth OF’er at the ML level – spot starts, pinch hit-type. If he continues to progress this season, I could project him to next year’s roster in place of MATT JOYCE.

So, after all that, I see one obvious slot for DREW WATERS, but none for CRISTIAN PACHE.
It would not hurt my feelings to see PACHE’s promo to AAA delayed until late in the season.
I think he has more to learn in AA first.
WATERS on the other hand, needs to be sent on up the ladder.
After all, TREY HARRIS in A-ball [.384 BA] is killing it down there, and I’d like to see him jump all four OF’ers in FLORIDA and slip into WATERS’ slot in PEARL RIVER.

TEHERAN off quotes here, classic follower, support-man, ROBIN-type. Nothing wrong with that. Sounds like he’s embraced the role, put on the eye-mask, and relaxed a bit not having to carry the #1 load anymore.

Gordon, I think you may have hit upon something with the idea that Julio is finally able to assume his role as a number 3 as opposed to an erstwhile #1. The mental pressure must be tremendous feeling you have to be “The Guy” when you are not that comfortable at this point with the burden. Sure, everyone would like to believe they are the best but numbers don’t lie over the course of career, especially in such a numbers oriented game as baseball.

I can understand y’all’s doubts about Duvall’s return to Atlanta but he is still on the 40 man roster and he is into the Braves for about $3MM and well, that is my point. We shall see who cools off, who gets injured and who is traded. At this point however, he would last about 15 mins on the waiver wire if released. I think he will make at least one more visit to Sun Trust this season.

On Demerit, let us not forget he can also play in the infield. Trade bait for sure.

Oh, and speaking of AAAA guys, I see where Rio Ruiz hit a 2 run homer for the Orioles this week.

Those who are not in the Braves long term plans: Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Matt Joyce, Adam Duval, Ryan LaMarre, Rafael Ortega, Travis Demeritte

Those who are: Ronald Acuña, Jr., Cristian Pache, Drew Waters

Those who could vie for a 4th OF role, Ortega, LaMarre, Demeritte

Those who will not be in the Braves organization in 2020: Inciarte, Markakis*, Joyce, Duval

Austin Riley is a LF for 2019 only. He will anchor the hot corner for many years to come.

The Braves will not open 2020 with 2 rookie OF’ers, and I predict Pache will be the one who makes the leap first due to his CF defense alone. He will probably also be the first to make the move to AAA, likely within another month or so.

The * next to Markakis’ name is a qualifier that he could return on his 2020 option for $6M if he finishes 2019 strong and under the understanding that Drew Waters is close on his heels.

The OF by 2021 will be, LF -> RF, Acuña, Pache, Waters, and will be the best defensive OF in baseball.

Courtesy mention to Charlie Culberson and Johan Camargo, who will continue to play wherever the team sticks them…

VOX
Don’t forget TREY HARRIS.
At .384 and climbing, he’s way outclassing the Sally League. I don’t see him wasting time in FLORIDA. I think he goes straight to MISSISSIPPI.
If he proves out there, it could be ACUNA, PACHE and HARRIS in 2021.
We have a surfit of great outfielder’s right now, and a suspect in GRAYSON JENISTA as well.
Another year, and we might see a big trade with one of DEMERITTE, WATERS, HARRIS, or JENISTA involved.
ACUNA and PACHE go nowhere except ATLANTA.
ORTEGA and DUVALL could be trade chip’s in July.
I can’t see either of them waived at this point, or this year frankly.
I don’t see LaMARRE being taken except maybe for a small amount of cash.

Vee, you alluded to Folty’s problem being physical. To be honest, would that not be a best case scenario? I think if it is mental it is a much tougher problem to fix. mentally accept it.Mechanical might be the easiest fix if he can

He worked his side session yesterday and reported no physical problems (but what player ever does?). Rick Kranitz worked on some specific mechanical issues that were picked up from video of successful 2018 vs. sucky 2019. He is making his next scheduled start this Sunday vs. MIL.

Now, this is what I believe based on discussions I have heard and read…

Folty will be on a very short leash on Sunday, with someone (undefined; possibly Touki or Newk, or even a callup such as Kyle Wright who just happens to be on the exact same rotation schedule) waiting to pitch some long relief innings if called upon. The way I understand it, they are going to allow him to start the game with the mechanical “fixes”, but if the slider is still flat and the fastball velo is still down, he’s coming out and will be IL’d to be further evaluated by the medical staff.

well, didn’t suck as much as the big league team’s bullpen did, though to be fair….Venters made the pitch to get the 3rd out in the 9th, but Dansby for some reason thought a ball that was rolling the whole way to him, was going to bounce up into his glove, for some reason.
of course, mental focus may have been a bit weak after having a 12-0 lead at one point. 12-8, but at least they won the game…. 9 runs in 1 inning, first time the braves have done that since 2009!

Last night’s 12-8 win might well have been the ugliest win by the Braves I have seen in a long time. I get it, up by 12 runs, it is an opportunity to take a young starter out after 6 stellar innings and turn it over to your bullpen back benchers. So, Tomlin gives up 4 runs and you bring in Parsons to get an out… Nope, that didn’t work so you bring in Jonny Vee who was shaky but supposed second coming of Derek Jeter inexplicably allows a sure 3rd out to roll under his glove for an error and more runs. Jonny Vee melts down and suddenly a laughter is not so funny any more. Bring in Luke Jackson who despite his recent good work still makes me nervous.

So, one truth that appears to be evident this season is that there is a shortage of bullpen arms throughout major league baseball.

Washington was in the game against the Cubs up until they took Max Scherzer out. BOOM! Washington’s pen gives up 11 runs to put the game out of reach…

So, what to do? Methinks it is time for Alex to face reality and make a few trades for some of the quality relief arms out there before every other contending club does the same.

I love Jonny Venters and appreciate every thing he has done for the Braves in the past but he is done. That is only one but you have to start somewhere. Maybe bring in a hypnotist to convince the scrubs they can throw strikes….

SS JACK LOPEZ [.270 BA/.647 OPS] 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR [1], 3 RBI [9], 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 E [4, fielding].
Jack’s been an error machine last couple games. Gotta’ work on that defense. Of course, he’s been a hitting machine also. Maybe he can’t do both at the same time.
RF TRAVIS DEMERITTE [.309 ERA/.959 OPS] 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR [7], 2 RBI [28], 0 BB, 1 SO.
TRAVIS has been on a tear at the plate and solid defensively. Call-up?
LF ADAM DUVALL [.273 BA/1.011 WHIP] 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR [14], 2 RBI [32], 2 BB, 1 SO.
But then so has ADAM. Yesterday, GIL said that 3 million counts a lot when it comes to call-ups. Seeing this eye-popping offense, he may be right. Or maybe JOYCE is gone, and both are called up.

MISSISSIPPI loss 2-4 WATERS, and PACHE a hit each in four. WENTZ takes the loss, but pitches O.K.
FLORIDA loss 6-8. Top of the order bangs away to no avail, as both starting and relief pitching give it the way.
ROME win 11-3 as starter ODALVI JAVIER wins a little shaky while DILMER MEJIA continues to be the smooth operator, and TREY HARRIS’ keeps rising toward other worldly levels offensively [.385 BA/1.037 OPS]

Gausman returns tonight. I hope he has been paying attention to what the kids have been doing. No fat hangers that somehow are never missed by the opposition. Be aggressive and pray Ozzie’s arm is in harness and Dansby brings his brain to the game.

Prediction, Ender will not make the upcoming road trip with the Braves and Austin stays on the roster until at least post Washington series. That is barring injuries of course.

Since corner OF’er TREY HARRIS has batted .397 in the month of May to this point, let’s jinx him, and put the old spotlight on his offense.
Signed June 2018 as a 2B, TREY was quickly converted to the outfield. If the 23 year-old carries this bat to the majors he can play 2B, LF, CF, or RF. That’s a versatile and valuable man.

2019’s defense is impeccible, perfect in all fields with 108 chances and 6 OF assists [3 in RF].

Can’t blame Luke for that one, nope, those were just aberrations. Poor positioning? Maybe… but sometimes that is the way the ball bounces, more impresses that he held it to a tie, besides, we got to see Freddie’s amazing walk-off.

RHSP PATRICK WEIGEL [0.00 ERA/0.25 WHIP] 4.0 IP, zeros, 1 BB, 2 SO, 50p/34s.
RHRP HUSCAR YNOA [W 10, 9.00 ERA/2.50 WHIP] 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 52p/30s.
The BRAVES are not handling this 20-year old properly. For whatever reason they have converted a steadily improving starting pitcher, and pushed him up to AAA when he is obviously not ready for either. I know they have their reasons, and I just hope they don’t ruin the kid’s future in the process.

MISSISSIPPI (19-22)

Another game, another victory. The PEARL Crew board the BARONS’ ship and make her a prize 4-1. This time it’s the middle five slots in the order that does the heavy lifting.

AND you thought our pitching was strong in MISSISSIPPI last night! A 12-0 complete-game, NO-HIT shutout of the HAMMERHEADS ensued in FLORIDA.

RHSP JASSEEL De La CRUZ [W 3-1, 1.93 ERA/0.68 WHIP] 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 89p/54s.
A truly remarkable piece of work. The 21-year old kid will remember this one for a long time, and so should we.

R-Braves snuff the Insects once again 9-5, and in the process it’s a clean sweep in the minors last night. Get out the brooms for this afternoon’s game in ATLANTA. SWEEP THE BREWERS.
And la piece’ de resistance,
TREY HARRIS NOW CARRIES A .419 BA FOR THE MONTH OF MAY.
A rare occurrence indeed.

Must have been a full moon last night with all the exemplary feats accomplished by the minors organization, and players like JASSEEL De La CRUZ and TREY HARRIS……..oh yeah, it was. WELL BAY AT THE MOON BRAVES, you earned it.

So, on paper, the Braves could just forfeit and take the day off but…. if Folty can at least keep it under 3 runs given up, there is the bullpen. It is why games are 9 innings in the Show and it ain’t over til it’s over.

Get to see Austin play 3rd base today. Make the plays you are suppose to make kid and we will see…

Braves released Jonny Venters today. Just wanted to wish him the best. When healthy was one of the nastiest relievers I have ever seen. And I've see a lot. 3 1/2 Tommy Johns took their tool on his stuff but not him. Still a super human being.

Okay, I would not be honest if I said I was at least a little disappointing with today’s loss but when Snit brought in Was Parsons, I know it was over, I just didn’t expect him to give up a home run. Oh’ well, be happy with the two wins and look forward to some more late night baseball… BLAH!

So, what is it, 4 games in San Fran and then finish up the season series against the Cardinals… at least they don’t have to fly all the way home from the left coast. Hopefully the storms in the mid-west will have cleared out by then.

And how about Folty today? I’ll take it. Yes, two solo home runs but that was matched by Brandon Woodruff so I think you could call it a Gem. Tough try to sweep a club as good as the Brew Crew so he gave his team a chance to win. If he can follow this game up with more of the same, the Braves can concentrate on finding more relief help. (Kimbrel)????

Collusion? Ya think that is what Boston and Houston are thinking with Kimbrel and Keutchel still on the side lines as 28 other teams wait for June 2nd to run out the clock on draft compensation? I fear neither will be sharp but then again, a month in the minors to get into fighting trim and it would be like a mid season trade. Lots of suitors I expect, they will go to the highest bidders. Don’t let anyone kid you, every team can use good pitching.

LHSP HAYDEN DEAL [ND, 1.32 ERA/0.90 WHIP] 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 78p/52s.
HAYDEN was killer as a relief pitcher in Rookie-ball and ROME until converted to a starter mid-season 2018. In that role, he has been out only 13 times.
Struggling a bit to find his footing until recently, DEAL is beginning to get the hang of being a starter.
Now 24 years-old, this is an arm to keep an eye on especially since he has the versatility and experience to go either way, as a starter or out of the pen.
RHRP KURT HOEKSTRA [0.00 ERA/1.33 WHIP] 2.0 IP, 1 H, zeros, 3 SO, 25p/17s.
Our converted infielder continues to do yeoman work while learning the vagaries of being a relief arm.
RHRP TROY BACON [W 1-2, 4.05 ERA/1.30 WHIP] 2.0 IP, zeros, 1 BB, 2 SO, 34p/23s.
Once a light’s-out arm in the lower minors, 22 year-old TROY has fallen on hard times in high a-ball. He appears to have righted his listing ship however, and is learning how to pitch.

ROME (21-22)

FIREFLYS plate one in the top of the 10th and hold on in the bottom of the frame to wreast a 9-8 win from the R-Braves in a 24-hit slug-fest.

RHRP JOSE MONTILLA [L 1-1, 1.44 ERA/0.84 WHIP] 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 11p/6s..
Hard-luck loss as MONTILLA allows the runner placed on 2B to score on a single which is not considered under rules to be earned.

Good morning Stuffville, Washington continues to fall short while the Mets are swept by the Marlins. Not a scenario conducive to winning the NL East. The Phillies continue to take care of business with the resurgence of Harper.

Soroka pitches for the Braves tonight which has to make you feel a little confident if you are a fan of Los Bravos. Atlanta starting pitching is finally beginning to gel. 5 really strong performances this week at home. If only the pen, which is showing improvement, can do the same. I guess the only real question left is whether or not Alex will reach down into the minors for assistance or make a deal for someone outside of the organization.

Oh, a a word about the Braves wunderkin, Austin Riley, and the hat trick laid on him by Woodruff. While it was his first, it won’t be the last. Woodruff made a lot of Atlanta hitter look weak yesterday. He is one of the elite young pitches in major league ball.

WOODRUFF sign him up, NOLA too, then we’re off to the races…….
Really frustrating during the transition period of starters learning how to pitch, and positions players learning how to hit.
Three years from now, and we’ll be flying high sippin’ Minute Maid lemonade and your fav mixer of course.

After hitting his 200th career homer Sunday, #Braves' Freddie Freeman needs three doubles to become the sixth player in franchise history with 200 homers and 300 doubles. The others: Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Eddie Mathews and Dale Murphy.

The Braves have traded Vizcaiano to the Seattle Mariners. From what I understand it’s a cash transaction. I don’t think he is expected to be back this season but who knows? Not like Seattle is going anywhere. I guess it does add a little cash to the till for the Braves plus clears a roster spot off the 40 man roster. I know, he was already on the 60 IL but there is a time that spot has to be exposed.

Interesting. I need to hear some commentary on this before I can digest it. On the surface, it looks like the Braves have picked up a good reliever for 1 guy on the shelf and another in the dustbin. Swarzak had a couple of years where he was very good. But he could very well be past his prime. Still, what did we lose? The potential of Viz if he comes back healthy? Seems like a win for the Braves to me. It certainly cannot hurt.

Swarzak, 33, is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA (8 ER/13.2 IP), three saves, and six home runs allowed in 15 games out of the Mariners bullpen this season, his first with the club. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, joined the Mariners in a seven-player trade that sent Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz to New York (NL) last December. He signed a two-year, $14-million contract with the Mets on December 15, 2017.

Okay, I can understand it all now. Not sure how much difference in the payroll this amounts to but I really don’t care at this point. We know Viz is next year and Biddle had lost the confidence of just about everyone associated with the Braves. I wish Jesse well and I hope the Mariners fix him, it looked as if that was not going to happen in Atlanta.

Swarzak amounts to free look for #Braves. Biddle had been DFA’d. Vizcaino out for season after labrum surgery. Cash from #Mariners completes balance of salaries. Swarzak same kind of chance Braves took with Brach last season. Brach pitched much better for ATL than he did for BAL.

OK. That looks alright, I guess. But I don’t really care. This is not a deal that should be parsed too closely. Neither Viz nor Biddle were going to help the team in 2019, yet the cost of each was already sunk. Since the “cash considerations” make this a salary neutral deal, there is literally nothing to lose here. And there is the chance that Swarzak could actually help. Anything we get out of him is more than we would get from Viz or Biddle. There is really nothing left to analyze from the deal.

Keep in mind that neither Viz nor Biddle was on the active roster. A move will have to be made before Swarzak can be added. The Mariners are in Texas for a series vs. the Rangers. I wonder if Swarzak can get to SF in time for tonight’s game? Of course, they play so friggin’ late out there, I could probably get there in time… 🙄

I mentioned earlier that Blevins would be the odd man out, but I should walk that back. Blevins and Newk are the only LHs in the pen, and Newk is going to be used more as a late inning guy than a LOOGY. Blevins is likely safe. Wes Parsons might be donning the Striper togs soon, though.

Versatility is the word.
He “DEAL’s” to start and out of the ‘pen.
In the rookie leagues and ROME, he was a light’s out relief arm.
With the regression of longevity of starters, relief pitching is become ever increasingly important.
Having a cross-over pitcher in your arsenal to be an either or, seems to be the wave of the future.
HAYDEN DEAL is proving to have it in spades.
Advancement is in his future.
Having had only 13 starts across two seasons and two levels hasn’t proved but so much to this point, but he will get the chance to prove his worth in MISSISSIPPI later this season I believe.
If he keeps up this level of accomplishment, he should arrive in ATLANTA by 2021 at the latest barring injury, or regression of course.

Yes Gordon, lots of 4A candidates. If MLB wants to see more offense, all they need to do is expand the league again. There are not enough quality arms to go around now.

And haven’t the Mets become a hot mess once again? I cannot see how management of these big league clubs continue to hold managers responsible for injuries. I suppose the Mets will now blame Mickey Callaway for Yoenis Céspedes fall at his Florida ranch resulting in multiple fractures.

FLORIDA – on the short end of a 4-0 score through siv complete. NOLAN KINGHAM getting an education on the bump. 3 HR’s, but 11 SO’s. He’s missing bats at a pretty good clip……for the most part.

ROME (21-23)

TREY HARRIS terrorizes opposition pitchers tonight, but to no avail as LOGAN BROWN has the only other hit in the line-up. Both starter and relief pitch well, but the R-Braves come up short on a 4-2 score.

It would be easy to come on and heap accolades upon young Newk (25 years) for his first career save, in which he came in blowing smoke and looked quite intimidating.

But then there’s younger Austin Riley (22), who crushed a ball into the left-centerfield stands for his 3rd HR in his brief 6 game career.

But then there’s even younger Ronald Acuña, Jr. (20), who took the first pitch of the game deep, and came back again for seconds a little while later.

But then there’s Mike Soroka (21), who defies his youth. He masterfully gave up only 2 hits and 1 run over 8 strong innings, and oddly enough that raised his ERA. Holy cow we’ve really got something in Soroka. He may not just be the best “young” pitcher in the division, he may be the best pitcher period. And that says alot in the NL East. I know he did it against a division cellar dweller, but that’s what you are supposed to do to inferior teams. You are supposed to step on them early and never let up. To merely call his start last night “dominating” is to still do it a disservice. They never really had a chance.

Last night’s game was one worth staying up for. Acuna’s opening 435 foot smash to left field to Soroka carrying a perfect game into the 6th inning, the good guys looked really good. Soroka pitched 8 complete giving up one run on a homer to center and one more hit and Acuna had 2 home runs plus Riley crushed another ball for a 2 run shot. Plus, the game was over a little after midnight. A snappy 2:23….

And can I just stop right now and give a quick THANK YOU to Alex Anthopolous for not caving to public pressure and trading away any of these young studs? He engaged in plenty of trade talks over the winter for haughty names that we’d all love to have seen acquired, but the asking price always included names like “Soroka”, “Riley”, and such. One such conversation even ridiculously included the name “Acuña”.

And those names were just the headliners of packages that would have included more names that we will be cheering on in another year or so: “Wright”, “Pache”, “Anderson”, “Waters”, “Contreras”, etc.

Hey, I’m guilty. My hand is raised.

Alex, please continue to ignore the silly pleas of amateur GM’s like myself and continue to nurture this talent that is approaching quickly. And thank you for allowing us the privilege of watching Soroka, Riley, and Acuña blossom into some of the most exciting young Braves we’ve seen since… well, I hesitate to make hasty hyperbolic comparisons. (Aw heck — since Smoltz, Jones and Jones.)

I’m not sure whether to file this under “News Of The Weird”, or “They Really Do Know What They’re Doing”…

Per Ken Rosensource:

RHP Carter Stewart, who attended Eastern Florida State College after failing to sign with the Braves as the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s draft, is in agreement on a contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League, sources tell The Athletic.

The Braves did not sign Stewart, 19, after concerns arose after last year’s draft about an asymptomatic wrist issue. By attending junior college, he became eligible to re-enter the draft this year, and Baseball America had ranked him No. 38 among its top 500 draft prospects.

I think he has an asymptomatic head issue, too… or at the very least an asymptomatic adviser issue.

Stewart still has a chance to go in the first round, but he’s unlikely to go as high as he did in 2018. Stewart has shown flashes of the pure stuff he displayed as a high school senior—led by a fastball that gets into the mid-90s and his infamous high-spin rate curveball—but hasn’t shown as much consistency as he did last season. Stewart has also added a slider to his repertoire, but it’s closer to an average offering while his curveball still has plus-plus potential. He occasionally uses a solid changeup as well. Stewart added weight to his lower half this spring, and while that increased his strength, some scouts believed it also hindered his delivery and increased the stiffness in his legs. While he has impressive body control, Stewart is not an elite athlete and teams think he’ll need to have more dedicated offseason workout plans to prevent his stuff or strike-throwing—which is solid—from backing up. Through 12 starts and 68.1 innings with Eastern Florida State, Stewart posted a 1.84 ERA with 96 strikeouts and 23 walks. He possesses all of the necessary talent and pure stuff, but there are many more questions with Stewart in 2019 than there were one year ago. Add on the fact that the Braves found a medical issue they didn’t like and that will surely leave some teams apprehensive this June.

That would be one guy 30+ [Freeman].
Be interesting to see if I’m right on half the newbies now in the minors.
Bound to be a fizzle or two, a trade or two, an injury or three, and an outsider other than by trade. That one-third difference right there. But this is one strong looking bunch with some ML experience under their belts.

Gil, you are right, I am wrong! Man, I could have sworn I read he was let go in Sept of 2015, not 2014…geez…he was hired by Boston in Sept of 2015 …I blame all those Sept dates!
So, drat, more credit to Coppy and Hart…bleh….well, the scouts did the hard work, they just didn’t screw up the draft

The compensatory pick the Braves received for the Carter Stewart sage is the #9 pick on June 2, which is significantly higher than their regular pick at #21. It is also significant in that the Braves’ draft pool is increased by the corresponding amount.

At any rate, the speculation on that #9 pick has uncharacteristically centered on 2 position players, and even more uncharacteristically 2 college position players: OF Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) and Catcher Shea Langeliers (Baylor).

The left-handed hitter has always had tremendous raw power, but there have been questions about his ability to hit enough to tap into it. There will be some swing and miss, but he’s shown bat speed, strength and loft consistently, with majestic home run power to his pull side, but also the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He runs very well for his size, regularly recording plus times down the line.

Langeliers has a cannon arm that can produce 1.7-second pop times in workouts and 1.8-second clockings during games, and he used it to erase 70 percent of basestealers as sophomore. The 2018 Rawlings/ABCA Gold Glove recipient as the best defensive catcher in college baseball, he’s a quality receiver who’s more agile and athletic than most at his position. He also has the strong leadership skills teams desire in a backstop.

Langaliers would likely be considered a stretch in the top 10, but the Braves have been known to reach early, sign for underslot, and use those savings on their next pick… much like the following mock pick at #21:

*RHP Brennan Malone, IMG Academy (Florida)

Grabbing a (possible) underslot college bat in Bishop with their extra pick at No. 9 gives the Braves the ability to spend big at No. 21. Malone has good velocity and four distinct pitches, and he’s made strides transitioning away from “throwing” to “pitching” this spring, to use an old cliche. The extra pick allows Atlanta to get creative and flex their bonus pool muscles a bit. Bishop and Malone would be a good way to do it.

Remember those names on June 2. It is extremely important for the Braves to make hay in the draft given their lingering restrictions in the international market.

oh man…………………oh man….deja vu all over again. Luke Jackson didn’t deserve that….so many sliders practically in the dirt, somehow finding wholes…
I know Luke is in love with his slider ( as well she should be) but…he throws 97, and I think the league is starting to look low (I don’t know why guys like Gregerson (sp) can throw nothing but sliders, and get away with it, but then again, he’s not the closer doing that) , but still, that pitch the Fat Panda hit, man….you really can’t hit that pitch!

I think that one game was an outlier , the offense just isn’t really clicking, outside of FF, Acuna, and Nick M….
Dansby .250, .313 and .222 with 7 RBI’s for May. I did see a good opposite field hit today. Perhaps he needs to be hitting 8th again????
Ozzie, .259, .312 and .219, 9 RBI’s for May.
JD, .263, .388, on pace for 23 HR’s and 69 RBI’s (though the RBI total is low from batting 2nd for so long, and missing a few games) .255 for May so far…these guys need to pick up the pace a bit..or a lot.

I don’t think that’s a feasible question in today’s baseball economy, but from a pure lineup perspective who would you rather be displaced by Austin Riley (who is a real keeper)?

Which lineup is better? One with Ender in it or JDon?

Personally, considering the defense JDon provides, and considering there’s not much dropoff in CF with RAJ out there, I still prefer the lineup with JDon + Riley over Ender + Riley.

And even though JDon’s numbers might be disappointing to some, I actually think they’re acceptable if not viewed in the light of $23M. At least he’s playing most days for his money, and not breaking his ankle on a ranch somewhere.

As Austin slides back to baseball reality, I think the argument becomes a moot one. At this point, it is pretty plain that JDon is doing enough to justify his place in the order. With the report that Ender has not even returned to “baseball activities” we are looking at least two more weeks of not even having to figure on what to do with Ender vs Riley.

The Braves are in no hurry at this point to bring back Enciarties.

I am not a fan of Luke as a closer. While it is evident it is very difficult too string together hits to score runs, anytime a team is putting the ball in play, they have a chance vs having a swing and miss hurler on the bump. T’is why I would rather have Newk closing games than Jackson.

That said, Jackson does have a 97 mph fastball in his quiver. Maybe draw upon that a little more now the league appears to have caught onto his back foot slider.

TREY HARRIS on;y had a double in four last night for 158 AB’s. a .392/.464/.646/1.110 OPS
For the month of May .411/.482/.753/1.236 OPS
Like I told my eldest grandson after he batted .627 BA his sophomore year in high school,” that’s a career year in any league.”

Looks for all the world like the organization has cleared space for him by shelving both NESLONY and LIEN in MISSISSIPPI with 7-day DL designations.
That leaves only OF’ers WATERS, PACHE and RAYSHEANDALL MICHAEL currently on the roster.
MICHAEL is new to AA as he’s played one game there. In A+ he put up a .200 BA/.353 OBP/.300 SLG/.653 OPS in 40 AB’s.
Not a stellar line.
AA needs another OF’er at least temporarily.
I’m sure they want to see SEAN in more than one game to give a fair eval, and think it a disservice to HARRIS to pull him up and see him cool off on the pine.
One of WATERS, or PACHE need advancement.
My money’s on a trade, or cash sale before the deadline where one of GWINNETT’s OF’ers are moved, and PACHE is advanced.
My bet is on RAFAEL ORTEGA.
That allows WATERS to continue AA development, evaluation of MICHAEL, and advancement of HARRIS while NESLONY and LIEN are slowly moved off the 7-day, or back to the 60-day.
GRAYSON JENISTA [.232 BA/.684 OPS – 151 AB] has been struggling to find some footing in A+, and seems to slowly be coming around. He BA has been climbing last couple weeks.

Yeah, his glove ain’t bad either! 😉
Who could have dreamed he’d be this good, this early as well???? Coulda saved 23 Mil, but…you just don’t know….if JD has 35 HR’s at the end of the season, as well as Austin, I won’t complain 😛

Taken to the wood-shed by the TARPONS 7-1. Plenty of hits [6], just no runs to speak of.
PHILLIP PFEIFER demoted from AA, and he continues to struggle as a starter.
I believe he’s better suited to relief.
His past performance was certainly best there.

part of a Jeff Schultz column on the bullpen….
The Braves have used a National League-high 18 relievers this season. It will be 19 when the latest swap-meet purchase, Anthony Swarzak, throws his first pitch. We’re not even through May.

Opponents have 14 comeback wins. Seven of those have come in their final at-bat.

This is not a new problem. It’s just a problem that nobody in power seems terribly desperate to fix right now, at least not with the economic power of a team backed by a company with $42 billion in assets.

Hey, there’s sheetrock to buy.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos, bless his heart, is bargain-hunting again. He has shuffled bodies between the major- and minor-league teams in Cobb and Gwinnett, because, really, who can tell the bullpens apart? He acquired 35-year-old Jerry Blevins from Oakland for $1.

Anthopoulos traded Arodys Vizcaíno (out for the season) and Jesse Biddle (who had been recently DFA’d) to Seattle for Swarzak and cash to help pay his salary because the Braves certainly weren’t going to do that.

Swarzak is kind of like an old Winnebago with stickers on the window from different places you’ve vacationed. Minnesota, Cleveland, New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle. He has been through nine organizations since 2014 if you count the Doosan Bears in Korea. (Winnebago couldn’t make it there.)

The Braves rank 21st in the majors in team payroll and have spent about $12 million less than a year ago. Meanwhile, Craig Kimbrel sits and waits.

If Anthopoulos doesn’t feel any pressure to make a significant move, here’s why: The Braves are 26-23. There’s still 70 percent of the season left, and the team is only 2.5 games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East. (Washington again has taken yet another wrong turn at the fork.)

But how long can the Braves go with results like this?

The 18 relievers used to this point are tied with Milwaukee for the most in the NL. The only teams that have used more are Baltimore (23) and Seattle (22). That’s the wrong measuring stick. The Orioles and Mariners have a combined record of 38-61 and both sit in last place in their respective divisions in the American League.
The bullpen’s ERA of 4.59 ranks 12th in the league and 22nd in the majors. The eight blown saves also are the third most in the majors.
Braves relievers have worked 174 2/3 innings (third most in NL), allowed 28 homers (second) and surrendered a batting average of .257 (second highest).

At least one experiment seems to have worked: Sean Newcomb, who was a mess as a starter (4.38, eight walks in 12.1 innings in three starts), was sent to Gwinnett to fix some problems and has come back as a solid reliever (0.00, no walks in 8.1 innings in seven appearances). Jackson had been solid, except for the first game and the last game.